Philippians 1:3-6

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

There are several things that we can take from this scripture:

1. Have an attitude of Gratitude

2. Pray and pray with Joy

3. You are not alone, there are others partnering with you tegiving their lives to the Lord just like you.

4. Be confident that if you maintain faithful the Lord will obligate Himself that you will complete and be successful!

These are powerful things to live by.  So let's hang in there and allow the Lord to accomplish great things through us,

10 Questions Church Leaders Should Be Asking

#1 – Do I trust the leadership of this church? (If the answer is “no” then there are going to be problems because you will be unable to fulfill what God commands in Hebrews 13:17.)

#2 – Do I find myself attacking other people whom I perceive may be more skilled than me? (If so then you have insecurity issues!)

#3 – Is there anything happening privately in my life that, if it became public, would disqualify me from ministry? (”Your life” is NOT “your life!”)

#4 – Do I value my calling to serve Jesus and His church over my perceived gifting? (If the answer is yes then you will do anything at any time to move His church forward. If the answer is “no” then you will develop a deep sense of entitlement that will cause you to believe that the church should completely be sensitive to your wants and needs above the call to preach the Gospel and reach the world for Christ!)

#5 – Would I attend this church if I were not on staff? (If the answer is no then you need to do yourself, the church and God a favor and resign right now! You cannot serve a church that you do not love–period!)

#6 – Do I always have to be the expert OR am I willing to have others step into my particular area of ministry and point out my blindspots and shortcomings?

#7 – Am I always telling others how tired I am? (If so…SHUT UP! You are IN THE MINISTRY! It’s HARD! Make sure you are taking a day off to rest and relax and then GET ON WITH IT!)

#8 – Do I get angry when I do not receive the recognition and praise that I deserve? (If so…repeat this phrase, “It’s not about me!”)

#9 – Am I honestly giving my best effort? (See II Timothy 2:15!)

#10 – Would the people who are closest to me at work say that I am a walking example of Philippians 1:27?

This weekend Dianna, Makenzie and I also remember someone we knew for a short time. A brief moment, yet so dearly loved and missed...Our baby Girl...Makenzie's little sister...Kennedy Elle Rivera.  It has been a year since that heart-breaking day when we lost her from our time line, from our present life.

We dearly loved her and were excited to hear that she was coming to us.  Life has a way of surprising us with the cruelty and effect of this sinful and corrupt world- sickness took her from us here on earth.  But one thing is for sure...Kennedy - You are always in my heart!!!  I will strive to be the man of God who would have inspired you to learn from, to emulate and follow just as I follow the Lord.

We remember that though your presence here was but a brief moment - your impact is eternal.  If we could only realize that for our own lives.  On this day Kennedy - we remember you and we thank the Lord for you!

Thank you Lord for Your healing power!  For healing my broken heart and for the hope of better a future!  See you in Heaven Kennedy Elle!

Dad

The Apostle Paul, also had confidence in the Lord's partnership for the advancing of the Gospel as stated in :

     Ephesians 3:20
     20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power        that is at work within us,

 He understood that the limitations we face are usually self imposed when we disqualify ourselves from what the Lord declares for us.

This weekend, during the AWAKEN Conference, we have an Incredible opportunity to see the Lord do amazing thing with those that partner with Him.  As the Apostle Paul, I believe that He will do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  The Lord takes delight in "BLOWING OUR MINDS." 

As we celebrate our 6th year of God's faithfulness to Citi Church, and enter the 7th year, I believe that we will enter into a new Dimension as a church and individually.  Get ready for the Lord to surprise us!

 I pray that you will take time to be part of something Big!

Friday May 20th - 7:30pm with Bishop Tony Miller

Saturday Leadership Seminar May 21st -9:30 till 2:00pm

Speakers: Pastor Ryan Deaton from Life Church -www.lifechurch.net

                 Pastor David Briggs from Trinity Church International -www.tci.org

                 Pastor Chuck Pelham from New Harvest Church -www.newharvest.net

                 Bishop Tony Miller from Destiny World -www. destinywo.com

Sunday May 22nd -11:00am

                 Pastor Tony Rivera from Citi Church -www.citichurchmiami.com 

 I look forward to seeing God do something special this weekend!

So there is something about having gratitude and not only sensing it in your heart but also expressing it with your mouth and actions!  This is a forgotten thing in the lives of many believers.  They have come to expect God's blessing and take His work on their lives for granted.  When this happens our world becomes smaller in size,,, it shrinks to our world...to just our perspective and it becomes all about me!  God forbid!  As a result we become selfish and reluctant to live a life of service and of sacrifice leading to complacent christian living.

The apostle Paul said in Colossians 3:16, Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

The only way to preach, teach, encourage, sing and serve is with a heart of gratitude.  Any other way is dead works.  When we are grateful we are constantly reminding God how faithful He is and therefore establishing our lives as worship onto Him!

 So praise at all time for He inhabits the praises of His people.

God Bless!

These were the words that resonated from my spirit as I saw hundreds of adults and hundreds of children that participated in our Easter service yesterday!  The presence of God was present in everything that took place.  We launched a new series Titled: It Is Finished!  The work of Christ was completed so that once and for all we can enforce His victory over every obstacle and trial that we face in our lives!  Pastor Dianna and I are so very grateful to the Citi Church family for helping make this day so special by serving faithfully with a servants heart and a godly and loving attitude.  It sure made a difference! 

The next five weeks, the message titles will be as follows:

MAY 1 –  Overcoming Financial challenges

May 8 – God's plan for the Family
*Sunday, May 8 – Mother’s Day – Child Dedication & Family Portraits

May 15 – Understanding Divine Healing

May 22 – Inviting God in Our Future

May 29 – Establishing Divine Connections in an Unstable World
*Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day

I am very excited about this series:  Pray with me and let us come in agreement for powerful results during this season!

PS. Here are the stats for Sunday's Easter Service

Children: 216 children

Adults: 248

Total: 464

Salvations: 29

 Volunteers: 58

Results: Priceless!!!!  What a Beautiful Day!!!!

There is a lot of noise but not much life changing substance.  God Help us have something important to say!

 When we have something important to say, the world will stop to pay attention!  In the Book of Acts chapter 3 the Apostle Peter addresses the crowds and shares with about the life transforming phenomena that they experienced and how they too could be transformed by it.  Acts 3:41 states, Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

 I don't know about you, but when was the last time you had three thousand people respond positively to something you said?  Key to this great event was that they had spent time in prayer together.

 Too often we want the power, anointing and impact but without paying the price!  Unless we seek the Lord and take time with Him we will not have something life changing to say!

 In this Lent season of Easter, let us take some time daily to seek Him and to learn from Him.  Abide in Him as He abides in you!

 Blessings!

Today is the final day of our emphasis. Whenever you complete a major accomplishment it’s always time to celebrate. So today is a day of praise. Shout to God and Sing to Him and call out the praises He so rightly deserves. Cel­ebrate with Him the changes you’ve experienced and the blessings He’s provided.

Take today to write out some reflections of what God has spoken to you during this emphasis of focusing on the Lord. What has He shown you about distractions? What have you learned about your relationship with Him? How has He blessed you? How has He stretched you? Going forward…how should this change your life? Write this out and then pray about implementing a new relationship and com­mitment with God in the future.

Pray for ways to become a better leader and difference maker in your family, your work, your neighborhood, and your church. Pray for God to give you the passion and focus you need to serve Him by serving others. Ask Him to show you ways that you can step up and increase the way that you impact the lives of others.

Pray for God to give you the perspective of your life that He sees for you. God has great plans for your life and you want to be able to have the vision to see the direc­tion and paths He wants you to travel. Pray for discernment in critical decisions and the wisdom to know what to do and when to do it.

Pray for the spiritual protection and warfare of our church body. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but we have been and are covered by the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. He has disarmed, disgraced, and defeated the devil and we need to remind the devil of what happened on the Cross of Calvary. Pray for the protection of your family and put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20.

Pray for the residents that in the surrounding area that are in need of Hope. Pray that God would open their eyes to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray that God would use you to be a blessing.

Pray for the children of our church. Pray that God would raise them up to be mighty men and women of God who prioritize their relationship with the Lord over material possessions, education, or social status. Pray that God would use them to prepare the way for the return of Jesus.

Pray for your neighborhood today. Pray that God would allow you to build relation­ships with those you live near, so that you could share your faith and influence their relationship with God. Pray that God would give you an idea of how you could serve one of these neighbors or even invite them to Worship Service on Sunday.

Pray for the opportunity to share your faith this week with someone who does not have a relationship with Jesus. Pray that God would open the doors and align your path with someone who needs the power and salvation of a new relationship with the Lord. Pray that God would give you the courage to share when the door opens.

Pray for the government of our city and state to have an increase in Godly leaders who can shape the policy and funding of our area to improve the education, safety, morals, economy, and political structure and effectiveness.

Pray for those in our church family who are personally or who have someone living in their house that is battling alcohol or drug addiction. Pray for the teenagers and children in our church who have parents with addiction struggles. Pray for God’s breakthrough for them from the patterns and behaviors that are damaging their lives and relationships.

Pray for the nations where Christians are persecuted and killed for their faith. Pray for strength and passion for them as they face intense challenges to sharing their faith with others. Pray for the protection of their families from the physical threat of government and local religious leaders who oppose them. Pray for great favor for them amongst their people that many will surrender to the call of Jesus Christ.

Pray for those that are involved in areas of ministry at CitiChurch. Ask the Lord that they will be able to reach people with the life transforming hope brought by Jesus Christ. Pray that God will enable them to see the work He is doing in their lives and the su­pernatural hope and provision He wants to bring to that area.

Pray for the physical healing of those battling illness, disease, and injury in our church. Pray for them to have an increase in faith to believe that with God even the impossible becomes possible. Pray for strength for their families and peace from the anxiety and fears associated with the illness and injury of a loved one.

Pray today for our Citikidz ministries, SES Tutoring, RAYG and Higher Ground youth. Pray for God to work mightily in the lives of the kids and that we’d see many young people prioritize the Lord in their lives. Pray for spiritual renewal in the lives of many teenagers and that they would be influential leaders in the lives of their friends.

I hope you’ve stayed to your commitment up to this point. If you have not, then today is “get back on your horse” day. Pray that God will renew your commitment and give you the strength to re-commit to him. If you’ve been going strong ask him to give you a renewal of passion to keep on going with this journey.

Pray today for an increase in your personal faith. Ask God to show you that which you believe is impossible, and then specifically ask him to give you the faith to entrust him with the responsibility of it. Ask God to give you a refreshing measure of faith to believe with Him all things are possible.

Pray today that God would provide all of the resources necessary to possess the land that CitiChurch needs to bring city transformation. Ask God to give our Pastors the wisdom to make the correct decisions concerning the direction of the church.

Pray we would all depend upon him and recognize He is the one who meets all of our needs in life. Pray today for the families in our church, improved commu­nication in marriages, singles who are focused on their commitment to the Lord, teenagers who will obediently follow the Lord, and children who will start off their walk with the Lord the proper way.

Pray for the finances of your fellow church members. Due to the rise in cost of liv­ing, insurance, and housing many of us are struggling to prioritize our finances. Pray that we would all be faithful to the Lord, and that He would provide his blessing for us.

Genesis 16:1 - 18:15, Matthew 6:1-24, Psalm 7:1-17, Proverbs 2:1-5

Today is the first day of something new. Regardless of where you are in your rela­tionship with God, 21 days of prioritizing the Lord over essential needs in your life will draw you closer to him and transform whatever needs to change. So today pray that God will help you to envision how you will resemble him more closely at the end of these 21 days.

We wrapped up the last Sunday Service of 2010 with Part 4 of the Christmas Lights Series.  The presence of the Lord was strong.  There was an excitement in the air.  Friday we will be celebrating a special New Year's Eve service with Praise and Prayer.  We will also be baptizing those that are dedicating themselves to the Lord!

Dianna and I want to thank you for the generous gifts we received from our CitiChurch family.  We love you guys.  Thank you for a great year!  Let's look forward to what the Lord is going to do this coming year!

 To catch any of our services log to www.citichurchmiami.com and click on the media buton

Blessings!

Luke 2:8-11

2 (This was the first census that took place whilea]" Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

What a sight that must have been, Shepherds half asleep keeping watch over their flock in the middle of the night when all of a sudden the Glory of the Lord began to shine all around them!  The bible states that they were terrified.  That must have been something spectacular for these shepherds to be overwhelmed!

I believe that any time anyone comes in contact with the presence of the Lord, they can't help but be overwhelmed by His greatness and majesty!  His Glory is bring light to any situation!  As followers of Christ we also have a charge to be the light to a dark world full of fear and anxiety!  Our presence should shine a light to their situation!

 This Christmas find an opportunity to shine your Christmas lights to someone in need!

On behalf of Dianna, Makenzie and myself, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!  We love you lots!