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Back To The Future Wedding

We had the honor and privilege of attending our second wedding in two weekends. The venue was perfect for an outdoor ceremony followed by an indoor reception.

Driving on the beautiful back roads of Vacaville, California, we turned into a gravel road and were instructed to park in the open fields of this spacious ranch. Neither of us have been here before though we have driven by this location several times in the past years.

As we walked towards the crowd, we found our seats under some shade as the sun was beginning its descent. The gazebo was the focal point of the proceedings. The ceremony was concise and I am sure the family members in the first couple of rows were very thankful for that as they sat in the hot sun.

The Newlyweds!!!

As we turned our attention to the reception, I saw an old friend standing in the shadows. She was a volunteer and I knew that I would catch up with her soon. During a break before the bride and groom reappeared, I stepped outside and bumped into my friend.

Then she told me some amazing facts about the Joyful Ranch.

Continue reading “Back To The Future Wedding”

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Beauty and The Beast

I have been learning how to be a better husband and displacing my selfish needs in exchange for enhancing my wife’s life and well-being. Most men need to improve their thought process in their relationships with their wives, fiancé, or girlfriends (whichever situation you are at the present time).

So what am I doing to improve my marriage?

Dating my wife each week of course.

We spend our Wednesday afternoons enjoying each other’s company. Dates do not always have to cost money (great news guys)!

The other day, we decided to stay home and watch a movie on Netflix. We agreed to watch Beauty and The Beast as we had missed it at the theater. It was fun to see the human actors and actresses reenact the movie.

When the movie ended, something dawned on me.

Continue reading “Beauty and The Beast”

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Joseph’s Story

Have you ever read the full story of Joseph in the Bible?

A descendant of Jacob, Joseph was sold into slavery at the age of 17. His step-brothers hated him as he revealed his dream that one day, they would all bow down to this younger brother.  He was Jacob’s favorite son and was given a coat of many colors. Some of you may remember the stage play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

As a side note for many of my old SF church friends – I have many fond memories of performing Dreamer – What Really Happened to Joseph every weekend for months! In spite of the loss of one of our brothers, we chose to live on.

Joseph’s life endured many twists and turns until he finally became second in command in Egypt – only the Pharaoh had more authority. This was unheard of for a foreigner to rule Egypt. However, God used Joseph to interpret dreams that would one day save Egypt and Israel by storing up a percentage of harvest in the good years and rationing the food in the lean years.

Joseph definitely had the courage to live on in spite of his circumstances. Here is what I have learned from this Bible series. Continue reading “Joseph’s Story”

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Hidden Damage

The drive was uneventful as I returned home from a business seminar. The early afternoon welcomed me with cloudy skies and the occasional sunlight. My time schedule afforded me only an hour to get home, set up my laptop for my online webinar, and contact the potential customer with a link to my website.

Traffic was good as I cruised over the bridge and onto a major freeway. The digital clock on my car’s dashboard displayed a calming “1:15pm” – plenty of time!

A text message appeared on my phone – I know it is unwise to read my text while driving so I gave Siri a command to read me the message. It was from my potential client.

Postponed for now! Oh well, I can now go to my chiropractor given the cancelled appointment.

Love the flexibility of my work schedule. In fact, I decided to exit the freeway and use the backroads to relax and get in the mood for my appointment.

Uh oh!

Continue reading “Hidden Damage”

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The Storms of Change

“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” – John 8:7

It is a shame that when change occurs, human nature acts out in a selfish manner. Who is truly entitled to cast blame and doubt on anyone except the blameless?

Yet no one is blameless even though some believe they are above the others.

Let us get deeper.

When devastation occurs in a person’s life such as the loss of a loved one, would you not agree that this is a “major storm” in life? Who would want such tragedies to occur? Who can we blame for our circumstances?

Who has the courage to choose resilience over resistance? Continue reading “The Storms of Change”

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Little Mary (part 2)

You might be wondering why this is part-2 of my previous blog entitled “Little Mary”.

To fully understand the impact of the story written in part-1, you have to read the letter written in 2010 from this little girl (who was a three-year seasoned performer by now with Kidz Praise).

The letter was written as a class assignment and the comment at the bottom came from her teacher. The letter is written here in the original format (misspellings and all) …

Continue reading “Little Mary (part 2)”

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Praying For A Miracle!

What an emotional weekend!

On Friday, we received word that a young man (from a family at our church) ran into the back of a parked tractor-trailer off the freeway. His injuries were life threatening as it caused much injury including a massive brain trauma.

The local churches have been praying all weekend for a miracle to happen. There is strength in prayer and God is always in control even though we often times try to take responsibility on our own. The situation is dire and although you may not know this person, your prayers are much appreciated.

There are two schools of thought here and this was inspired by a recent post by someone on Facebook that shared their frustration that we should not say, “If it is God’s will“. I have a different opinion…

Continue reading “Praying For A Miracle!”

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A Familiar Look…

We attended the funeral service of a dear sister in Christ who was suddenly taken home at the end of August. She was only 55 years young and was full of life. She had a conversation with her brother the night before she passed and everything seemed normal.

She leaves behind a humble and wonderful husband and two grown daughters who are just beginning their lives in the world. Nothing prepared them for this unexpected loss. I was very shocked to hear this news (as many were as well) and could not wrap my mind around the finality of the situation.

The funeral service was amazing and celebrated her life in a beautiful way. Continue reading “A Familiar Look…”

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Haunted By A Sciuridae…

During our recent trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, we were amazed by the different blooms that welcomed us to its natural playground. Devoid of many tourists, the pathways were peaceful. Strolling along the paved routes, we stumbled upon a squirrel.

It was kind enough to pose for a “welcome” photo opportunity so I snapped it.

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Continuing our exploration of the massive garden, we noticed something… Continue reading “Haunted By A Sciuridae…”

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Living Life As A Hummingbird

This past weekend, my wife and I visited a beautiful botanical garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. With the camera around my shoulder, we set out to enjoy the overcast day sprinkled with the occasional sunshine peaking through the clouds.

First of all, I am not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes, my beginners luck provides some fantastic shots (especially after I crop some unnecessary background images).

We noticed a hummingbird hovering about thirty feet from us. It was so small against the backdrop of the beautiful green landscape and foliage. I had no chance of capturing the bird in-flight unless I pressed the shutter button as fast as I could.

In an instant, it was gone but oh, the picture I captured. Then I thought about our lives and how we live like hummingbirds. What do I mean?

Continue reading “Living Life As A Hummingbird”