S-A-C-R-I-F-I-C-E

If you know guitars, you'll know who Les Paul is. For those who don't know, Les Paul is an accomplished American jazz guitarist and one of the pioneers of the solid body electric guitar. What do Paul Mcartney, The Rolling Stones and Bob Marley have in common? You got it, at one point they all played a Les Paul guitar. Bob Marley's Les Paul custom is actually buried with him in his mausoleum. Here's another interesting fact about Les Paul. In 1948 during a road trip Les Paul was in a major car accident. Paul suffered severely broken bones, his right elbow was essentially destroyed, and doctors were seriously considering amputating the arm. Les Paul refused to let the operation be performed; when his elbow had to be fused into an immobile solid mass, Paul directed his surgeons to place it at a roughly 90 degree angle, to facilitate his guitar playing. Sure, Les Paul could of picked up another instrument or another hobby with the use of only one arm but it wouldn't of been him. Sacrificing the mobility of his arm was small price to pay in comparison to sacrificing who Les Paul was destined to become.

What are you willing to sacrifice to become all that you are supposed to be; To do what you were destined to do?

Sunday Recap

What a Sunday

-Lite team, lite schedule, probably would be a lite crowd, but our hearts were full.

-The best way for our team to start Sunday's is having fun. So we had an impromptu rap session in the back. Too funny, wished we had it on video. Maybe I'll shoot video from now on, what takes place in the background of every service is a riot.

-Didn't take long to see what I had expected was wrong. Great crowd, great energy, and an awesome day began to unfold.

-Troy thanks for playing Michael Buffer... Flashing lights in the back Marsha was the icing on top!

- I love seeing new faces in the crowd, it fuels me. I think I met more new people this past Sunday then any previous Sunday.

-Felt great speaking! Funny as I was preparing this week I started getting ready for the next message at the same time, usually doesn't happen that way.

-My tech guy Julian rocked...never misses a beat. Oh yeah he's 13.

-I love those Sunday's when everyone just likes to hang out after service, we had another one yesterday...hmmm maybe an after service BBQ is due...

-Great teams have great gap players, people who fill the gaps and get the job done, people who play hurt and get the job done. I love our team. It was an All-Star performance yesterday.

-CANT WAIT TILL NEXT SUNDAY!

Gut Check (Moving Forward)

"Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping..." Romans 4:18

Was reading this chapter on faith today and really just saw this scripture as one of those gut check scriptures. A gut check in life asks these questiona "Do you have what it takes?" "Is this true of you"

Fill in the blank with your name below.

"Even when there was no reason for hope, _____________ kept hoping..."

Is this true of you? "Is this what you are really made of"

We will all face hopeless situations in life, situations that have no immediate answer, direction will be faint, and the problem will feel like a mountain. Do you have the kind of faith in God to keep hoping when everything else is telling you not too?

It has your name on it...

Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses. 1 Kings 8:56

I'm holding onto promises today, promises so big they can only come true through the hand of God. You've heard the saying "Promises are meant to be broken", this is not true of God. In an effort to find meaning we build our lives so much on temporary promises, promises in relationships, promises in careers, promises in temporary fulfillment when all of those promises fail we are still looking for meaning. I love what my friend Jr Gonzalez of CWC LA say's "there are over 800 promises in the bible, one of them has to have your name on it."

The truth is, God is a God of promise and not one of His promises has ever failed...EVER. Listen, if you need hope today, analyze what you have built your life on, has it been the promise of people, possessions or opportunity or has it been on the unchanging, unwavering promises of God. Moses saw all the wonderful promises the Lord gave to him because He had a hunger and a pursuit for the promise and the promiser. I want this to be true of my life. So today I remind myself as I blog and I remind you as you read. Seek God, and the promise of God for your life, for your family, for your dream. Seek it out, don't let life pass you by without living the wonderful promises that God has for you. I believe that there are promises lined up for my life and yours, some promises we may know of others we do not. The question is will you show up to your promise? Will you truly live it out? Will you see it? It's waiting there, your promise, and it has your name on it.

Sunday Recap

-I had an awesome Sunday. So much so that I asked myself can it truly get any better? I know it can , so I won't limit God, but that's how good the day was.

-Crowd started late at church, Bay Area heat wave is keeping people sleeping in? Maybe. Anyway people started trickling in and it was great to see all who came out.

-New Series started this week and T-Roy did great. Full plate, camping trip, work, school, then he cooks. Wow Troy, you left all on the field brotha.

-I've been getting this new series Moving Forward in my heart all weekend. Can't wait to preach, still praying about the direction I'd like to take. I'm really feeling this series though. I'm praying for incredible growth in peoples lives, and huge leaps of faith.

-We Build People class went awesome. Small group, but very, very good. We have attracted and are continuing to attract some folks with huge potential. Can't wait to see what God does next in these folks lives.

-Had a great time with friends and family later. Oh man, so much food. Thank you so much for all those who came out, hung out and pigged out (j/k) ate. Family and friends are the most rewarding thing in life, Period.

Hold on to your seat belts CWC Milpitas, were going for a ride. It's time to MOVE FORWARD!

Standing Firm (Moving Forward)

At times moving forward in your life will require you to do nothing else but simply stand. As much as we want situations to change, problems to go away, for "Calgon to take us away, sometimes you just have to stand. Ephesians 6:13-14 says "and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then" Ecclesiastes 10:4 says, If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, Do not leave your post.

There's a post with your name on it. Think of your post as your family, home, potential, purpose, your biggest dream. You've got to stick to that post and let nothing pull you away. The post is what I wake up to and the last thing I think about every night. My post grounds me, roots me, pushes me, it's my responsibility. My post is next to me, in front of me, always in proximity. You got it? don't you dare leave your post, no matter how tough it gets. When you've tried everything else, just stand. As for me...I'm done allowing people, problems or fears trying to drive my vision, dictate my position, and tell me what I can't do. I'm gonna stand, what are you going to do?

Detour or Derailed (Moving Forward)

I've experienced both in my life. Although the detour and the derailment can feel the same at times they are not. Detours still have progress. A derailment means your off the tracks. A detour has a lesson to be learned. Derailments have pain and frustration until you get back on track. One common trait the detour and the derailment share is they both will cost time. Time cannot be made up, it's not borrowed or saved, it's either invested or spent. Andy Stanley says "it's not about the amount of time you have left, it's about what you will do with the time you have left" As you have read this post, it's taken 45 precious seconds of your life that hopefully you feel were invested and not spent. If your on a detour the quickest way to getting back on target for God's will for your life is to submit to God's process daily during your detour. If your derailed, realize that God's grace is sufficient to pick you back up. Don't waste time, Move Forward!

Developing Thought: "Created to move forward"

Getting ready to start a new series at church entitled "Moving Forward." We were created to move forward in life with incredible purpose. Anyone who has ever made their life count moved forward...but what if they didn't? What if Martin Luther King never moved forward in what he believed? What if Abraham Lincoln was stopped in his tracks after his first of many defeats? What if Michael Jordan gave up the day he was cut from his High School Basketball team. Think about the greatest causes, inventions, dreams, events, championships never taking place.

You might never invent anything, play for an NBA championship or even run for president but God has created you with ability to move forward despite fear, lack, or problem. Check this out...1 Samuel 17:34-35 say's But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. What are you chasing today in life? Are you chasing a dream, chasing unused potential, chasing purpose? It might sound crazy to some, like chasing a lion but someone has to champion the idea of moving forward otherwise the greatest you will never be realized. Think about a Ferrari, cherry red, an engine that roars, but it's sitting on idle, potential is the exact same way. Move Forward

Even GIANT Killers Get Weary

Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted. ¹⁶ Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him. ¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! 2 Samuel 15-17

David the Giant killer is in yet another war with his old enemy the Philistines and this time against a new Giant with a new weapon and this giant was after David. BTW You will always have another giant coming your way...but that's another journal. This very battle could of become the end of one of one of the greatest kings of the old testament, David. The bible says at the most intense time of the battle King David became weak and exhausted. Not knowing that a giant was coming his way to kill him, David had a man next to him who killed the giant. The next verse let's you know how close David came to being killed this day, the bible says David's men declared your not going to battle again. The kings men were adamant about protecting their king and the kingdom that they gave the king an order.

Life is surrounded with giants. What does this mean for me right now? In this story the Giant Killer was surrounded by Giant killers. 1) David would of lost his life this day if he was surrounded by anyone else but a giant killer. If you surround yourself with people who just sap your strength, people who just complain, people who always have the answer for everyone else but not for themselves, those are giant killers, those are wimps. How many people do you have in your life with wisdom, integrity and true character. Another reason it's important to have giant killers around you in life is because life is daily and eventually the daily gets exhausting. 2) David had someone close enough, that he trusted enough to allow to speak into his life and give him an order even though he was the king. Even though David was the king he knew his limitations. Nobody likes being vulnerable and exposing their limitations, we all want to act like we have it together. Truth is we can't even be real with God let alone allowing others to see what's really going on. "Vulnerability is a sign of spiritual maturity" Even giant killers get weary. You can't climb life's mountains alone, you need strong relationships that will encourage you, build you up, tell you the truth, urge you forward and pour life into you. Most of all you need God. "My dream is so big that I need God and others around me to help me realize it almost daily."

Sunday Recap

-Mothers Day at CWC Milpitas went great. I love honoring mothers because I'm a mommas boy. -Had a chance to honor two mothers that are incredible. Great job Antoinette and Rosemary. Click here for highlights.

-Loved hearing one of the team members saying "man I'm excited, like we are having a conference today or something"

- Troy Lepisi and Vince Pomele tore up A Song for Momma.

-Completed our series on Defining Moments. I spoke a message titled "Imagine"
-Often the Defining Moments are the toughest times in our marriages, finances, careers, homes, and lives.
-On the other side of your Defining Moment there lies the potential for a greater you. Imagine what that looks like?

-Can't wait, next week we begin a new series entitled Moving Forward.
"Moving forward, breaking past the treadmill of life"

What's the alternative?

Yesterday marks the day exactly that a year ago my pastor and I spied out the land for our future church plant in Hawaii. Till this day my stomach churns when I think about what's ahead, but it pales in comparison when I think of the alternative of living without a God sized dream?

So let me ask you, Is there a better alternative to living life with vision and with purpose? Is there a worthwhile alternative to knowing who you are, what you are created to, and actually doing it? Is there a meaningful alternative to making your life count for something and truly living, not just existing? What's the alternative? If you say "there is no other alternative"...then what's stopping you?

Sunday Recep

May has officially started with a BANG!

-Woke up praying for the service today and praying for each member of the team. Felt great coming into today.

-Received a text from my Pastor it read "Ant...Make today YOUR defining moment" Pumped me up.

-Enjoy God, Enjoy people just kept feeling that in my heart, shared with the team.

-Snowball effect of momentum kept building throughout the morning.

- Man that dude Santz, he's a good preacher. I missed part of the message because I was video taping the kids Mothers Day messages.

- Great conclusion "Moving Forward" song by Israel "Hey Troy Lepisi! I'm waiting for that album bud.

-Had a chance to pray with an entire family today. I was blessed having the opportunity.

-Can't wait till next week. HUGE MOMENTUM running into Mothers Day. I have some plans up my sleeve to really honor the moms. I might cry... Lol

Much Love family, team, friends, church...Everyone! I'm out