My Sunday....Downtown Disney

We celebrated my niece Rebekah's Birthday this past Sunday at Downtown Disney. She celebrated with all of her cousins at Libby Lu and then walked Downtown Disney until it was time for lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. I was lucky enough to be able to share the time with them and my Canon Rebel XTi. Here is the little video I put together from the pictures I took that day. Enjoy--we did!!




Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Not the Best of Summers

This summer has not been the easiest in terms of heat. We have gone through a heat wave the last week that has kicked my butt. To top it off the motor in the air conditioner broke and so we have been using fans to circulate the hot air in our rooms. But just when we thought that was the worst to could get, the power went out yesterday. We sat in the living room, the coolest room in the house, with all the windows open, just staring at the fan hoping that power would be restored to it soon. It felt like that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Total Recall where the aliens watch their air supply fan stop moving and they just sit there and stare at it. I would have left the house but I just gotten back from hanging out at Starbucks for a couple of hours and I felt bad for the rest of the family. So we just stuck it out together. I will say though I had to charge my cell phone to be able to use it for an alarm this morning so I was fortunate enough to have to charge it in my car where there was air conditioning. In my car I realized just how peaceful the world is without distraction like noise and just how beautiful the world can be when we allow it to only be seen through the light of nature without all the extra glare of the city lights.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

10 Good Reasons...

I am not a kid person, but there are definite times in my life when I start to feel a little longing to have a little me walking around. I am around my nieces a lot and as much as they can get on my nerves they can correct a thousand wrongs and melt my heart with a smile, a laugh or a nice thing said. Just when I am close to being worn down about my not having kids, I come across this article. It is what it is and I imagine it was written with a tongue in cheek spirit (although I imagine it doesn't have to be taken that way).

Enjoy the article here: 10 Good Reasons You May Not Want to Have Kids!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Tapas and Tithing

Last night I went to a bible study that some friends have in a store front . The leader said something that really made sense to me. We always hear preachers talking about giving to God and tithing. People really have it confused when they think that they are giving to God when they are tithing. God said that the first tenth of what we have is His. When we give that to God we are giving what is already His to begin with. When we have not given anything out of the remaining 90% of what we have left then we essentially have not yet given anything to God. How incredible is it that we have a hard time as the Body of Christ giving what He has said is already His, let alone giving anything that is ours to Him. I just thought that was a great point that she brought up.

We also happened upon a great restaurant last night across the shopping center where the bible study was held. The restaurant was called Honda Ya. It billed itself as a Japanese Pub. everything on the menu was like appetizer portion. I pretty much considered it a Japanese tapas bar. The food was excellent. We grubbed on California rolls, kalbe ribs, tempura, sausage tempura, and some tonkatsu. There is some stuff there for everyone. I was with my mom and she is not a big raw stuff eater so I didn't try any of that. their menu is extensive and it looks like I found a hangout.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Happy Birthday KSR!!

Happy Birthday Kimberly! You are truly an amazing and gifted woman. God has great things in store for you and for all of us through you! Thank you for your friendship.

Always,

Mike

Sterile Blogging

So wireless connections are great. I have used them in hotels, coffe shops and houses. One place I never thought I would use it is a hospital. And that is exactly where I am blogging from right now. In fact from here:

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. We had a good day yesterday. My sister came over with her family and brought some BBQ from Nick's Taste of Texas. Their food is the best I have had in a while as far as BBQ goes. It could just be the fact that I have been on Nutrisystem for almost a month now. So anyway back to the hospital story. My mom felt weak on one side and her blood pressure was crazy low so after a fight with her we finally decided to call the ambulance. They are still running tests to see what the deal is and I have officially been up for more than 24 hours--I am cranky as all heck right now. Just pray with us for a speedy recovery.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Mike

Homeward Bound and Shopping Round II

We made it home safely by the grace of God. We had such a good time. My mom and I almost hit that rough spot where we get through with each other for a little bit but we made it through. We hit one of my favorite stops on the way home—The Cabazon outlets and the Desert Hills Premium Outlets. I did some damage in Gap, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, and Coach for mom. (Aww what a good son! =) ) We had to split up because there were so many of them and we all wanted to hit certain ones but didn’t want to wait for each other to get done before we went to the next one. All I have to say is my credit cards are smokin!! God was great this weekend and blessed us with some rest and relaxation in His presence. We all needed some of that. Glad to be home and glad to be refreshed and excited to see what God is gonna do in my life and my family’s lives next.

Buffet, Shopping, Ministry and Beef

Today started out with a great breakfast and the Old Country Buffet (Hometown Buffet here in Cali). Food was not really bad. It was actually good. They have these cinnamon doughnut holes that were to die for. (Spoken like a true diabetic!) After we were full to the brim with food, we headed out in search of some distraction. So we ended up at the mall. Not just any mall but a three story, 4 wing mall. You name the store and they had it and then some. It was like a combination of a Brea Mall with South Coast Plaza. Loved it!! My niece loved it even more because with her Nana in tow she got the hookup. After we were shopped out we went back to the hotel for a quick rest then off to the meeting. Again we got the nicest reception and we were in store for a great meeting. God told me tonight that three doors were going to be opened to me to minister. That’s awesome. I have just been waiting for the green light. He also told me that He was going to speak to me through the book of Daniel. I am not too fond of the old testament because I often get lost, but I trust that He will show me what He wants me to see. We capped off the night with some take out from the Lonestar Steakhouse. I have never eaten there before, but steak is one of my staples. This place was very reasonably priced considering the size of the steak and the quality. Definitely going back there! Praise God for His faithfulness and for meeting us wherever we are at!

Genuine, Transparent, Faithful

The trip today was great. My mom slept most of the way and my niece (who my mom wanted to join us) was listening to her Ipod in the back seat. We ate a nice dinner at the Olive Garden and then went to the meeting. It is always such a nice feeling to join our friends out of town. We are always received well. Their ministry is so genuine. They are out on the road a lot but it is nice to know that they are praying for us. They have kept my mom in prayer all this time and when they tell us that, you just have to know they are telling the truth. These people are completely transparent. God told my mom tonight that she was not through on this earth—that is exactly what I hear when I pray for my mom. God is Good!!

Travel Into the Unknown

Tomorrow I am going to Arizona with my mom. It is going to be her Mother’s Day present. We are going to see some friends of ours minister over there. Their ministry is great because there is always a fresh anointing of God there and you leave like you just ate the Lord’s Table. So that part I am looking forward to. There is part that I am not so looking forward to—my mom and I traveling together. We love each other to death but can’t seem to be in the same room together for super extended periods of time. I have to admit that the past couple of times that we have traveled together it has been great. But more often than not we get home and swear we are never traveling together ever again! I am just glad that she feels like traveling and as sick as she has been lately I would take her anywhere she asked me to! Aww what a good son I am! =) We’ll see how it goes…