Oh my word....

Jesus Is: Remix is my new favorite album...you should all go to iTunes right now and download it and then play it many times.

The remix of "Where the Love Lasts Forever" is suh-weeeeet! Especially where they replaced the I-V-vi-V progression in the hook with the IV-V-vi, just to make it sound more hip...yeah, the song now sounds like about six other trance tunes you've heard fifty times, but I still like it. Yeah, I know it's Hillsong and that I work in ministry, which pretty much means that every one of their songs is my favorite worship song of all time, but this one is really good, I promise.

1+1=1

I think that one of the coolest things that Steph and I get to do together is work with the college ministry here at FRC. Her work schedule is a little tough right now so she can't go as often as she likes, but when she's around, it really adds value to what I do. At least it feels that way to me.
I can remember talking to her on the phone as we were discussing different observations we had about our group. The whole time I was wondering what it was that I managed to get right along the way that allowed me to be here now, sharing the joys of a mutual passion with someone that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. This is one of my favorite examples of grace.

It's so different from what I expected it to be. Actually, that's not entirely accurate. I had no idea of what to expect.
I'd never been in a courtship before, never been in a relationship that had this much potential to glorify God in some serious ways, and I definitely had never been in a relationship with a woman who flat out told me that she was willing to submit to my leadership - which, if you're ignorant, sounds like a free pass, until you realize that the flip side of all that privilege is the responsibility to do the whole "love your wife as Christ loved the Church" deal ("With great power, comes great responsibility, Peter").

And it is a big deal. I told the guys in the small group this much, too. The day I figured out that growing up isn't something that just happens to you was one of the best things I ever learned, because it meant that I wasn't somehow excluded from manhood because I happen to be a knucklehead. It just meant that I had to learn a whole lot of discipline (I haven't watched cartoons in at least six months, for starters :)

It's a really big deal. I get to do something I love to do with someone I love to do it with, and we get to be a part of some seriously God-glorifying life change...I don't know that I've had many feelings like this one, this sense of rightness that is telling me that I'm on the right path, that yeah, it's a fight, but that by the grace of God I'm also a different person than I was a year ago. In this moment, it's tough for me to balance it well against all of the other really cool moments I get to experience on a weekly basis, so I don't think I'll be trying to make any comparisons right now.
For now, I'm just grateful that I've got Stephanie Sanchez, and that she's got me.

Today

Today will be a good day.


Today is my day off, which means it's wedding planning day!

It's also the same that the gorgeous young lady in that photo over there has off from work, which means I get to spend time with her!

I love Tuesdays....

What do these men have in common?

Well, besides the fact that they are a bunch of goofballs, they are also going to be simplifying their lives by selling a bunch of their possessions at the World's Largest Garage Sale this Saturday from 8 AM to 11 AM at all of our campuses!
It's all for a good cause, so if you're looking for some items from the Tinoco, Lashley, or Papichulo collections (also known as the "Ian gives himself funny nicknames" collection), they will be available for sale for a limited time only (three hours).

Be the first to own a Book Read By Mo! Prepare to exhuberantly rejoice at the thought of owning an actual Paperweight Phil Used Just Last Month! Be thrilled at the prospect of bartering for that shirt Ian Wore Once And Promptly Forgot About Until Last Week When He Found It In The Back Of His Closet!

Seriously, though, all the proceeds from the sale are going to the American Cancer Society, so if you're anywhere in South Florida or in Lima, Peru or near any of our other locations, be sure to check it out!
C'mon! Make your Saturday count for something huge!
We'll see you then!

What I did this week

Well, besides running around like a maniac, continuing to plan a wedding, and all of the other myriad things that turn my days into blurs, I also managed to put this together.

Mad props to Phil for all the coaching...he'll make a motionographer out of me yet.

Enjoy!

Get LOST!

Soo....last night I took in my very first episode of Lost, which also happened to be the premier of season four. Better late than never, I guess.
Carlos & Michelle Garcia threw a Lost party, complete with Dharma soda, Dharma pizza, and yes, even Dharma Peanut Butter. Throw in an hour of Rock Band on X-Box and you've got yourself the place to be.

*Mad props and shout outs to Carlos, Michelle, Cristian, Gerson, Bert, Ian, Miggee, Olie, Pam, Kyle, & Rebecca!