Sunday Splash!

It was another remarkable day at Sunset Chapel! The worship team started our service with an extended set of Christmas caroling! Smiles abounded throughout the sanctuary as the team presented this wonderful array of Christmas favorites! I have to admit there were a few that were unfamiliar to me. Having John Kricker add his voice and levity to this singing Christmas presentation was over the top hilarious! Where he gets his bursts of energy is totally amazing! He was definitely a crowd favorite!

I completed the series "The Gift of Change" on Sunday and received so much positive feedback that our media team is preparing this three set mini-series of messages for future purchase. When they have the set completed, we will inform those who are interested when they will be available. God extends His ability to "change" our "hearts, circumstances and families" if we will surrender control to Him. His plans and purposes for our lives are incredible! When the pain of the same becomes greater than the pain of change it's at that point we are ready to take the necessary steps to see improvement in our life situations! Sunday's message concerning the "Gift of Change for Families" was probably one of the most needed in sometime for several in our Sunset Chapel church family. If you missed it YOU NEED TO GET A SET OF THESE MESSAGES.

We received our first ever Christmas Gift Offering to assist several struggling families to provide holiday cheer to their children. Our offering totalled $1,948.00!! Thank you so much for helping us bring some joy into the hearts of these children who otherwise were going to have a bleak or no Christmas gifts this year. We have 7 families with 15 kid's that we want to bless. It's not to late to help us. If God lays it on your heart to contribute to this effort there's still time. You can drop your donation off at the church this week by Thursday morning before 10:00 AM or you can make an online donation by going to our website SUNSETCHAPEL.COM and clicking on the giving icon and following the prompts. Be sure to mark your donation "Christmas Gift" so that it can be applied to our efforts to bless these families!

Surprise Birthday Party

After the service the entire church stayed over for an early birthday celebration for me! This Tuesday is my actual birthday. I am overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and love. Thank you to all who gave me so many wonderful cards and gifts. I joked with everyone that they couldn't put any candles on the cake because the fire department couldn't be on standby since I had become an official "fire hazard"!

Beautiful New Baby

After our church activities ended, Shari and I made our way up to Baptist Hospital to welcome into the world and to our Sunset Chapel church family little "Evangeline Elise Lander's". Her arrival was about a month early. Congratulations to Pete and Amanda for this precious gift from heaven! My wife was in heaven holding this beautiful baby!

Sunday Splash!

Sunday was such an extremely encouraging day! It was another fun weekend at Sunset Chapel! I am being blown away at the number of guest's who are showing up week after week. During our "extended" friendship time I made some terrific connections with Maria, Valentina, Edgar, Julie, Chris and Mirta! All these new faces are energizing our church to see ahead to the vision that God has for our church. God is doing something that has everyone sitting up and starting to notice. There is such a great spirit in our church right now. Start inviting people now to next weekend's worship experience. Even if people have turned your invitation down dozens of times...DO NOT GIVE UP ON THEM! God didn't give up on you and it might be your next invitation that God uses to transform someones life forever! When we bring people with us to see first hand what God is doing at Sunset Chapel the chances that they will have their lives changed skyrocket!

 I did my best to unwrap the second message in our mini-series "The Gift of Change." Everyone appears to be tracking with these messages. And the feedback that I'm receiving indicates that it is a series that is resonating with several. God wants us to experience His best! And far to many had been settling for less in their lives. As I've been stating for the past two weeks, change is an "inside job." With God, the great physician transplanting a new heart inside us. Not only do we get a new lease on life we also receive new sensory responses, cravings, and habits. Paraphrasing Ezekiel 36:26 (Living Bible) it basically says, "I will give you a new heart and I will put within you a new spirit. I will take out your stony/stubborn heart and I will give you a tender responsive heart." That's why when you and I surrender our hearts and control of our lives to God... something inside us changes! Change is initiated in our hearts. I love seeing the changes that God is doing in the lives of so many!

I love the Christmas season don't you? This is our family's third Christmas in Miami and our first in our new home. Shari has decorated the tree's and we have been involved in numerous holiday activities already. We capped off our day hosting a Christmas gathering for prayer and fellowship. It was a great evening of connecting with many who attend SC on a regular basis. There was so much food! I had to have gained 3-5 pounds just overnight! My wife made Brunswick Stew for the very first time and it was off the charts "Excellent"!

I announced our first ever "Christmas Gift Offering" yesterday in our service! Please help us bring some holiday cheer to some families with children who are really struggling right now. We will be receiving this offering next weekend December 18th. If your unable to attend there are several ways you can contribute to this offering. You can drop off your donation at the church, mail it, or better yet go to sunsetchapel.com and click on the online giving icon and follow the prompts. All donations will be tax deductible. Thank you so much for helping us put smile on some children's faces this year!

Have a blessed week!!

Christmas Gift Offering 2011

Sunday Splash!

Wow! What a weekend here at Sunset Chapel! I am still trying to recover from all the exciting stuff that's been taking place here on our campus! Last Tuesday evening a lot of us helped a family get moved into their new house. I really appreciated the strong guy's who showed up to do all the heavy lifting! Special thanks to Andrew, Carlos and Jose! We couldn't have done it without you guy's! Wednesday evening we hosted Sunset Christian Academy's "Family Fun Fest" there were a lot of excited kid's and parents on our campus for a fun-filled evening! Games, inflatables, pony rides and a petting zoo were available for all to participate in! Special highlight was the first ever pre-school fashion show! This added element to the Fun Fest was a solid hit enjoyed by all! Our littlest kid's were radiant in their new outfits!! Thursday I met with Tony Isasi and Yvonne Wiscovitch for their wedding rehearsal as we prepared for Saturday's wedding! Friday my wife Shari and I attended SCA's pre-school Christmas program! So many incredible and talented children showcased their talents for all to enjoy as the Christmas season gets into full swing! Saturday was the wedding I already mentioned, which was my fourth one in recent weeks! It's a real pleasure helping people tie "a forever knot" in their relationships together. And on Sunday I dedicated little baby Salome Victoria Cebey to the Lord! i must mention our worship team was spot on all morning! I noticed how everyone was getting their groove on to the new twist to an old Al Green song that they did a remake of. I saw head's bobbin all over the place!! And did anyone else notice.....we had so many guests. I did my best to get to as many as I possibly could! I met new friend's Issa, Martha, John, Ana, Daniel, Sonja, Patricia, Daniel and Kathy! It was so awesome to hear many of them speak of how well they enjoyed the service and felt the presence of the Lord! They elevated my joy as many of them indicated that we would see them again! Yeah God! Then last evening I was extended the opportunity to speak to our A/G pastor's and ministry workers here in the Miami area. Nearly 100 of them gathered together at Central Bible Church as Pastor David Stocker and his volunteer team did a tremendous job hosting this annual event! I tip my hat to them!! Whew as you can see it's been a very busy schedule! Have a blessed week!! I can hardly wait for this next Sunday to arrive!!

Courage

This morning in my devotions I found myself reading a familiar passage of scripture once again. My focus became riveted to a verse that I've preached upon many times in my 29 years of full time ministry. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) states, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I have often reminded those sitting in our church services that God has promised above all else to be with us and that we can depend on him. What is courage? David Ben-Gurion once said this "Courage is a special kind of knowledge; the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared." A friend recently gave me a book as a gift. In it I came across these sentences. "Courage is the inner drive to make progress regardless of the difficulty... regardless of whether your moment is now or sometime in the future, you must be ready. Courage changes things for the better... With courage, you can stay at something long enough to succeed at it - realizing that it usually takes two, three, or four times as long to succeed as you thought or hoped." We all face things in life that stress us out. And on many occasions we allow those situations to create unnecessary fears to arise within us. Someone once said this, "Fear is the darkroom where negatives develop." When moments of instability and resistance occur, you and I need to embrace the challenge and not buckle under and run.  There will always be a headwind facing those who step forward with boldness. The motivation to deal with the challenges and uncertainties of life must come from deep inside. You must believe that God has a specific design and purpose especially designed just for you. As we engage ourselves more and more with Him we become changed. Once our weaknesses are exposed God uses them for his glory. None of us can avoid crises from occurring in our lives completely. Every crisis we encounter demands our best. And we must face them with courage. The more we live the chances of us experiencing failure increases. As we fail, determine to fall forward, into God's arms of grace. All of us must develop a God-grounded level of confidence. He always goes before us and promises to carry us in our darkest moments. As we put our trust in Him there are tremendous gains on the horizon for us to experience!

FAMILY NIGHT FUN FEST! This Wednesday!

Join us for this fantastic family event this Wednesday!  All mid-week service activities are cancelled and will resume the regular schedule next Wednesday, December 7th at 7:00 PM.  Both SCA and Sunset Chapel Kids received free admission to this event with a wrist band.  Contact Kids Church Director, Shari DeBord or the school office to make sure your child gets theirs.  Adults and all other students will be charged a $5.00 admission charge.  Hope to see you all there!

Sunday Splash!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday as much as I did! Waking up to several days of much needed rest and food was just what my body and mind needed. My personal schedule in recent weeks had been in overdrive! I am definitely feeling refreshed and better prepared to finish 2011 well!

Typical weekend service following the long Thanksgiving holiday with many of our regular attenders missing in our service. Several others stepped it up today! I am so grateful to pastor a church filled with passionate people for Christ! Every base was covered as people began to drive onto our church campus! We once again had several guest's this week! Enjoyed meeting Lionel, Jose, Maria, Jenny and Jackie! These first time guests made my day! Three of them even made decisions for Christ! That never gets old! There is nothing like watching sincere tears fall from someones eyes who has just experienced a changed life! Also want to welcome back John, JR, Sophia and Kat back to our services! You have all been missed!

The perfect ending for today's worship experience was meeting with two young adults afterwards who wanted to deepen their study of God's Word! I shared with them about a couple of helpful resources they could each obtain and encouraged them to get involved with our Wednesday Bible study!

I shared with our church today some very important developments... This Wednesday we will host a Family Fun Fest! Admission is free for kid's with a $5.00 charge for adults! This event is being sponsored by our own Sunset Christian Academy! Their event was canceled a week ago due to a rainstorm and we rescheduled so that both our SCA and Sunset Chapel families could gather together! All our regular ministries will be canceled for this Wednesday( Nov. 30 ) and we want to invite everyone to this event! SC families should contact Shari DeBord to obtain free wristbands for their children to participate in all the fun activities!!

We also announced our second upcoming "Prayer and Fellowship" gathering at our home on Sunday December 11 at 7 PM. Everyone is invited to come with their prayer requests and a Christmas dessert to share with those in attendance. Speaking of Christmas, it's my favorite time of the year! I pray that every heart becomes a Bethlehem where Christ can be born!! The whole message of Christmas is that HE is with us!! It's also the perfect season to invite your family and friends to join you for a service at Sunset Chapel! I hope to meet them soon!

Sunday Splash!

I was supposed to get this update written a whole lot sooner, but it's been just crazy! Since last Thursday I feel like I've been running at full speed non stop!! We experienced a very good weekend of ministry here at Sunset Chapel! Our volunteers worked so hard to pull off our All Church Thanksgiving Dinner! I love our world class volunteers here at SC!!! They did a superb job! Special shout out to both Frances Watkins and Russ Barbour as well as to the many behind the scene workers who assisted them in making this event very memorable!!

Our attendance has been creeping upwards again for the past four weeks! This is very encouraging. I'm sure that the Lord is pleased with seeing us move ahead and not standing still. It was amazing to see that we've had double digit guests in our services for the past two weekends! Getting the chance to mingle and get to know those who attend Sunset Chapel are always opportunities I enjoy! We were blessed to have our son Calvin home for the weekend too! So many of you came up to him and thanked him for singing with the worship team and for singing "Arms that Hold the Universe" written by the group "33 Miles".  It was the perfect song to end my message with! God really used to him to sing this song with a great anointing!

Many of you also came prepared to give "One Days Wages" to our "One Day to Feed the World" offering that was received prior to the conclusion of our service. If you forgot to bring your donation there is still time to get it in. Remember for every dollar we donate it gets multiplied by seven and helps to feed hungry people. You can still make a contribution by going to sunsetchapel.com and click on the giving icon and then follow the prompts. Be sure to mark your contribution for "Convoy of Hope". This is the organization that we are partnering with to help feed people in desperate situations throughout the world!

I wrapped up Sunday by conducting the wedding ceremony for Robert and Geoconda Gutierrez! It was an honor to participate in their ceremony! God continues to do incredible things for them and their entire family!

Our ministry team's focus has now shifted towards this Wednesday's "Candlelight/Communion Service! Set a pattern of thankfulness in your home that will last throughout the entire holiday season. I hope that you and your family will join us for this very unique and meaningful service.  We will be using real candles in the service and NOT an iphone app!! All of us have much to be thankful for in our lives. Come be encouraged as you listen to some of blessing our SC family have experienced in the past year!! Our service begins at 7 PM and all our ministries will be combined for this very special "God's family" gathering!!

One Day To Feed The World- "Convoy Of Hope"

Deadly famine ravages East Africa. This summer the worst drought in 50 years has threatened as many as 12 million people in East Africa with malnutrition and starvation. The United Nations reports that an average of 1300 Somali refugees are arriving into Kenya every day.

Convoy of Hope has strived to meet the needs of these refugees by providing food and water in some of the hardest hit areas. In one location it is estimated that there are over 500,000 refugees in need. From Convoy of Hope's warehouse in Nairobi, food and supplies are being transported to these refugee camps. More than 3.3 million meals will be distributed in the coming weeks.

This Sunday, November 20 we will be partnering with Convoy of Hope's efforts to help save lives. At Sunset Chapel we care for the poor and suffering. Would you prayerfully consider linking together with us in giving "ONE DAYS WAGES"?? We are asking everyone to set aside one day of their life for the poor to share the love and good news of Christ. We are hoping to receive our single largest offering for missions this year this weekend. Your donation will be multiplied 7 times over!! For every dollar we receive Convoy of Hope is able to leverage that into 7 dollars worth of food, water and supplies to those in need. Convoy of Hope partners with hundreds of other resourcing organizations to provide sustainable solutions to unexpected disasters that occur all around the world. Since Convoy of Hope was founded, it has distributed $200 million worth of food, water and supplies throughout the world.

If your not able to be with us for this weekend, would you consider making an online donation? You can go to our church website sunsetchapel.com and click on to our online giving icon then follow the prompts to make your donation! Let's make a global difference this weekend for God! 100% of the offering received will be forwarded to this non-profit organization!!

Sunday Splash!

I think everyone in attendance in yesterdays service would agree that God showed up in a "BIG TIME" way!!! It was so awesome to see people plug into God's presence without any hesitation or instruction from the platform!! You can sense the hunger right from the start that everyone was ready for the  Holy Spirit to move!!

I think we hit on something as we started the service with a chorus and moved right into our water baptisms!! The energy that those baptisms produced was incredible!! I know that that word seems to get overused these days by many people. But there was no doubt that the service was just flat out "INCREDIBLE!! The whole church just latched onto the new song that Douglas Flores taught us "I'm Changed because of You" I think it's going to be a new favorite for all of us!!!

I met several new guests in the service! That's always exciting!! One of our new guest's, Kathia expressed to me of how much she enjoyed the service and that we would be seeing her again next week!! This afternoon we even received a phone call from one of our new families that have just started to attend Sunset Chapel in recent weeks that they are bringing several visitors with them this Wednesday!! WOW!!

After church Shari and I had lunch with a bunch of our young adults at Panera Bread. I get really energized when I hear how God is moving in their lives and the hunger they have to have their own experiences with Him! That kind of passion and desire always gets God's attention!!  I need to plan another get together with this group to discuss the possible "Road Trip" to Gatlinburg, TN in January 2012 to attend a national young adult retreat. I told them since some have never seen actual snow that I would gladly introduce them to their first snowball!!

Our day ended with 17 adults and 3 kid's coming over to our house for a very meaningful time of prayer and fellowship! The food was great! The fellowship was greater!! The prayer time was the greatest!!! I found out that our worship teams guitar player is one mean ping pong player!! Wil Tirado has got to have one of the nastiest serves I've seen in sometime!! All in all it was a great day to serve the Lord and be surrounded by some of God's greatest people!!

I can't wait for next weekend's service!!! Don't forget to bring a friend as we celebrate the Thanksgiving Season with our own all-church dinner immediately following the service!! There will be no Sunday School this weekend ( NOV. 20 ) but it will resume the following week!! If you still want to donate a pie to this weekends dinner be sure to call Frances Watkins at the church office at 305-271-4094. We could still use another 10-12 pies!!

This Sunday is also when we will be collecting a special offering for CONVOY OF HOPE. Everyone is being challenged to consider donating ONE DAYS WAGE to assist their efforts in responding to world wide disasters! COH is endeavoring to provide 3.3 million meals to the Somalia refugee crisis in Kenya. This area has continued to see extreme drought conditions on top of all the violence in that region. Every dollar our church gives this Thanksgiving is turned into seven dollars worth of food, clean water and supplies for children in need. $375 dollars can deliver up to ONE TON of food and relief through Convoy of Hope!! We are expecting to receive our single greatest offering this Sunday for world missions!! You can donate online if you like through our online giving option at sunsetchapel.com just follow the prompts to get started!

It's not to late to include in your Thanksgiving Holiday plans to attend this years very unique Candlelight/Communion service! Be sure to join us with your family and friends on Wednesday November 23 from 7:00-8:15 PM. This service features all our ministries meeting together in the main sanctuary with our families! I hope to see you there!

Go Public for Jesus!

It's going to be an awesome morning this Sunday!! ( Nov. 13 ) If you've ever attended one of our Baptism services, then you know we love to celebrate when people take the next step to tell the world they belong to Christ. We already have individuals ready to go public with their faith. If you haven't done so, it's time for you to take the next step too! Contact the church office at 305-271-4094 to get signed up. Then come prepared for the baptism service which will kick start our 10:30 AM service!! Bring with you a change of clothes and a towel to use after the baptisms are completed!! Don't forget to invite your family and closest friends to come watch this significant moment in your life.... this will be exciting!!

Inner Strength

In Luke 22:63-65 in The Message Bible it states that "The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded "Prophesy! Who hit you? And they said many other insulting things to him."

During this stage of Christ's suffering, his disciples had abandoned him and he had been arrested at night and brought before the Jewish council. While blindfolded, he was repeatedly ridiculed, spat upon and struck in the face. I am not so sure that either I or you could handle that stressful moment quite like Christ. He experienced and endured undeserved hardship during that trial. Yet in the midst of this overwhelming situation he was able to keep his emotions and responses under control. His "inner strength" was a result of his "inner connection" with his Father.

All of us have encountered explosive moments in our lives. Littered in our past are regrets piled up everywhere. And almost always our inability to control ourselves has only made things worse. In the heat of the moment our flesh often cries out for vengeance and retribution! It's in those desperate moments when we find ourselves about to cross over the line and add another regret into our lives that we need to seek out God and request that He place His "inner strength" inside us and help assist us to navigate through these unwanted periods of crisis!

Left unchecked, we are all capable of damaging our reputations, character and potential future use for His Kingdom purposes when we unleash our anger in unhealthy and ungodly ways. Let's all learn to cry out towards God for His intervention during those times when we are the targets of unfair treatment, taunts and pain. Let's all keep that "inner connection" consistent!!

Mounting Concerns

When you and I are face to face with concerns that are overwhelming and too great to bear alone. God invites us to toss our burdens and cares upon Him. He alone is able to sustain us in every situation we encounter. We shouldn't show a lack of faith in His ability or love for us. God can meet all our needs!

Psalms 55:22 ( Message Bible )
"Pile your troubles on God's shoulders, he'll carry your load, he'll help you out!"

1 Peter 5:7 ( NIV )
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Anxieties can be those things or circumstances that cause us to be troubled, agitated, and bothered. They keep us in a state of unsettledness and upset us to no end. For many it even robs them of their sleep! Each of us, myself included, need to learn to cast ( fling, hurl, toss, throw pitch, even sling ) ALL our anxious moments and problems towards God! One thing is for certain... He is available, always!!

My prayer today is that you and I will realize that there is no change of heart with God. His never ending love for us is constant. His concern for our lives and circumstances never just stops. He can be counted upon to always be there and available to meet our needs. Each person who is struggling with the unwanted weight of concerns in their lives needs to release that full weight of their fears, hurts and problems. He is our ever present help in the time of our troubles!

Sunday Splash!

Sunday was such an excellent day at Sunset Chapel!

Our attendance was encouraging.  

It was good to see some familiar faces once again in the crowd  that we've been missing.

And we had two guests from Denmark! Wow! God is really bringing people from far away! 

Actually it was one of our son's girlfriend and her mother. 

They came to Miami to check out one of our area colleges.

Thanks SC for being such awesome examples of Christ today! 

You made a great impression on them!

I really loved the new look in our sanctuary. It was fascinating to watch people 
come in and not see their customary seats available! I think God had a great big 
smile on His face as he observed our reactions!  I really appreciate John Kricker 
for assisting me on Friday to make the changes.  We are preparing to perform 3 
weddings in the next few weeks and our new set up is perfect for these upcoming 
ceremonies!

I felt like the message really hit home today!  I am so stinking tired and 
disgusted by the Devil keeping people gripped in fear, doubt, oppression and 
defeat! We exposed him for who he is!  He really is a liar, fraud, loser and punk!! 

He preys on unbelievers and followers of Christ alike. He targets believers with 
relentless attempts to sidetrack and hinder us from fulfilling God's Will in our 
lives! I can't wait to hear how God's Word changes people's lives who heard 
today's message and made the decision to take a stand against the Devils 
influence and schemes! Victory is ours in Christ!!

Can I just say that I am extremely proud of so many of our new attenders who 

really get the message about participating in God's Kingdom work. 

Their energy and enthusiasm is such a blessing! 

Thanks to all our volunteers for stepping it up in recent weeks! 

You can sense that the spirit is different. I really love the new vibe 
that I'm sensing in all our services and ministries!!

Has anyone else besides me noticed that we have a new streak going on at Sunset 
Chapel???  We've started our services on time for consecutive weeks now!!  Incredible!!  :)

This will be a very busy and challenging week for me.... so please keep me in your 
prayers as I try to accomplish much for Christ and His church this week!!

Whose side are you on?

Reading from Luke 11:23 (NIV) today in my devotions it says, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." It is totally impossible to remain neutral and on the sidelines regarding this spiritual conflict. There is simply no safe zone in this spiritual tug of war! The Message Bible says it this way "This is war, and there is no middle ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy, if you're not helping, your making things worse."

Let me break this down for you, those who do not join with Christ in opposing Satan and his evil influences... have in reality already set themselves against Christ and God's purposes on earth. Evil is never idle or inactive. It's destructive intent and effects are seen everywhere in our words, actions and attitudes. With no exceptions you are either on God's side and truth OR you are on the side of Satan and his constant lies.

Knowing that half-hearted commitments and partial obedience are unacceptable. By doing nothing and allowing our walk with God to dangerously drift and become lukewarm... we are in reality siding with Satan.

My prayer today is that you and I make right choices that clearly demonstrate to others through our actions, conversations and countenance that we won't allow our relationship with Christ to become compromised in any way.

May our example create open doors for transparent connections with others to take place so that we can become better servants and "gather" rather than "scatter".

College Student Hangout!

As promised here are a few of the College Student hangout pics! Shari and I really enjoyed hosting this gathering at our house. There were some very interesting moments and conversations around the dinner table! Deep discussion over tattoos... I am just saying that had to hurt! lol Also watched a considerable amount of youtube videos!!

Laughter is always good!!

Sunday Splash!

Yesterday was a wonderful day filled with some great wins for Sunset Chapel. Here are a few of the highlight's...
*Gathered for pre-service prayer in my office prior to the start of the service with everyone on the music team as well as our church ministry leaders! You could sense the difference that having bathed the service in prayer and going through the order of service made!
*We started our service "ON TIME"!! That is no small miracle!
*During worship we took the opportunity to pray with those who were hurting and burdened. God showed in a BIG TIME way in several hearts! There were some sincere tears flowing around the altar!
*I am extremely grateful to "Yvonne" who stepped out and joined our KID"S INC ministry and provided a much needed boost to our volunteer team! Two of our team members will be stepping away shortly from this key ministry here at Sunset Chapel for a break as they anticipate the new additions arriving in their families! Our nursery is about to welcome a total of five new babies! That's awesome!!
* Our missionaries to Spain Guillermo and Elena Monzon hit a homerun as they connected to our SC crowd with their presentation concerning the opportunities that God is creating and how we as a local church can partner with them in prayer and financial support as "Global Christians"!!
*Had a blast hanging out at our house with all our UM, FIU, and Miami-Dade college students after the service! Good times were had by all!! Shared about an upcoming Single Adult Retreat coming up in Gatlinburg, TN during the first part of January! More details will be coming soon!! Will post a few comments and pics from this gathering later today!!
*I thought the final message in our "Joyful Giving" series went well. I am encouraged by the numerous comments I've received concerning this topic and I am ecstatic over the tremendous jump in giving we've observed take place throughout the entire month of October!
*Stay posted there will be  lot's of outstanding ways for you to get connected to what's happening here at Sunset Chapel throughout the coming month of November!

Tailgate Sunday!

I had intended on posting some of the pictures from our recent Tailgate Sunday (Oct 23) sooner! It was a great time of fellowship and fun after the morning service!! It took me three days to recover from the soreness and pain of playing flag football! We've already heard numerous comments about everyone wanting to get together more often and enjoying more activities like this!! Enjoy the pics!!

TailGate Sunday - The Thrill of the Grill!

College Hangout!

Sunday Splash!

We launched a new message series today entitled "Joyful Giving". It's been over two years since we last addressed the subject of stewardship at Sunset Chapel. Every consistent Bible reader knows that the  scriptures have quite a bit to say on the subject of giving. As we glean from this message series the principles of giving and put them into action. It is my firm belief that your life will be forever changed! Following the teaching I really appreciated all the positive comments I received from individuals after the service. As we are all faithful to be open handed towards God's work. He will continue to pour into our lives numerous and great blessings!

There are two ways to make contributions to God's work at Sunset Chapel:

1. Each week you can place your tithe and offering envelope in the offering bag as it is passed down your row of seats!
2. You can go to sunsetchapel.com and follow the instructions to set up a one time or regular weekly or monthly online disbursement!

Believing that God has called me to trust Him more in my own life including the critical area of finances, my wife and I have made the choice to give up our regular salary for the next two weeks and trust that God will provide for our needs. Forgoing our regular salary will help the church with it's current financial needs. Stepping out into faith I've asked the board to receive an extra offering at the end of each service for the next two weeks and we will use whatever the amount that people contribute in this offering to meet our family obligations. We've been up front with everyone that the summer months have placed a real burden on the church budget, so we have decided after much prayer to live out Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty,"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." We are returning our entire regular salary to the church and we are trusting that God will do an incredible and surprising work of provision in our lives. I hope you will all stand with us in faith as we trust him to supply our needs.

 Today we kicked off our month long new members class and it's always exciting to me to see people take the next steps towards their personal involvement and spiritual growth. Growth in membership indicates the willingness of others to have a stake in the effectiveness, growth and vitality of a local church. It also affords me the opportunity to develop relationships with the many new people who have started to make Sunset Chapel their home church! God continues to lay the ground work for our future success in ministry!

Also this past Saturday I had the privilege of investing in the lives of three couples whose weddings I will be conducting in the next few months. Together we initiated 5-6 weeks of premarital counseling sessions that will help prepare them for their future as married couples. I am incredibly thrilled that they are making every effort to insure that their upcoming marriages are filled with lots of meaningful moments as they navigate through life together! I highly recommend every couple that is considering marriage to get premarital counseling to help prepare for their marriage! Topics such as communication, problem-solving, finances/budgeting, intimacy, spiritual priorities, etc are critical to the wholesome development of a great marriage!

During the morning service I announced two upcoming activities!

Our Second Annual "Thrill of the Grill-Tailgate Sunday" will be held on Sunday October 23! Immediately after our morning service everyone is invited to stick around and break out their grill for an afternoon of great food, fun and fellowship! (I will personally make my way around our parking lot to sample everyone's cooking expertise!) There will be a huge football game involving both guys and gals!! Other activities and games will be included! You will also have the opportunity to watch our local Dolphins play the Broncos and cheer them on to victory!!

We have also scheduled a College Connection Event for all our UM, FIU and Miami-Dade Community College students to join together for an afternoon hangout at our home on Sunday October 30th from 1:00-4:30 PM!! I am hoping that all our students will take this opportunity to connect together and hear my heart for your generation!!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Pastor Russ

Membership Class

Day Three! The NEW YOU . . .

How is day three going for you? ... Let me know ....  Leave a comment here, on facebook, or my email.  rusdebord@aol.com  I am praying that God will meet you right where you are and this is going to be your BEST YEAR EVER!  Surrender to Him ~

Day Two ....

"Awakening" announcing our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting and Spiritual Development!!

Join other SC/SCA families for 21 days to revolutionize your relationship with God! To purchase your "Awakening" book by author Stovall Weems contact the church office at 305.271.4094 x 102

Letting Go

Following Christ means giving up control. The more I exercise faith in my life the more I realize that I have to trust God for EVERYTHING! The longer I live on this earth I've also come to the point that I don't always see things the same way He does... nor do I understand everything thats going on around me. God's sight is much better than mine. He sees well past the horizon my eyes are limited to. Looking backwards to reflect intentionally on my past helps me to also note that during my lifetime I've made some poor choices and had more than my fair share of faulty decisions. But God has never EVER made a mistake. Even when I can't sense His presence... He has been at work upstream in my life. Once you and I make the decision to get out of the way and give up control of our lives.... God gets busy in our life situations. Let me encourage you today to "Let Go And Let God Be In Control!"

Being Rich!

I am an avid reader of books. One that I have been devouring in recent days is "Leading on Empty" by Wayne Cordeiro. His books have always offered substantial information and help to me as a minister. This particular book is a must read for everyone involved in full time ministry. As he reevaluated his life following a season of burnout he candidly shares that experience so that others can be encouraged who find themselves traveling down that same path.

Reading this morning I came across these words he penned..."You see, my goal in life is not necessarily to get rich. It is to BE RICH---in my faith, my marriage, my family and my ministry. It is a choice that I made when I defined what rich would mean. It is an attitude, a value, a decision, an intention. Choose to live life on purpose, to love intentionally, and to plan accordingly." This is great advice!

I feel very blessed this morning to know that God has supplied everything that I need. Yet I realize that in order for me to remain rich I need to make every effort to ensure that I stay actively involved this intentional growth process. Each day God reveals areas in my life that I need development in. As I follow His guidance I know that I am taking healthy steps forward and avoiding a debilitating season of burnout! May God's presence in your life today sustain you and cause you to live your life with balance.

Sunday Splash!

Today was another great day in the rebuilding of Sunset Chapel! We are beginning to hit our stride and run the race that God has prepared for us as a church! I love the preferred future He is revealing to all of us! For a number of weeks I've been sharing about God's desire to build a spiritual habitation in our lives and church. As we submit ourselves to Him as the Wise Master Builder, we are seeing Him construct a new direction and blueprint for our church. As "living stones" the Lord is chiseling and chipping away at us so that we will be perfectly fitted together! Don't forget ... you and I are "Human Habitat's" for His Spirit!

I had so many encouraging conversations with people before and after today's service who are being impacted by God's touch and presence in their lives! Our worship team continues to amaze me as they diligently prepare themselves each weekend to connect us all to God! Without a doubt they are reaching deeper within themselves to use their talents for the glory and honor of Him! I love their heart and passion! Seeing several new faces up on the stage is a welcome sight too! All of this reminds me that God is doing a new work in our midst! I hope that many others are sensing the Lord preparing us for a greater outpouring of His Spirit in the coming weeks!!

We highlighted the return to school days as we focused today's message on returning students and teachers. I was delighted to see so many of our outstanding SCA students and teachers present in the service. It's such a blast to see us all come together during special event's and services like today! We welcome our teachers back to their classrooms this coming week as they get prepared and organized for the start of a new school year! Soon the chatter and footsteps of several hundred children will fill the air and hallways of our campus! There is nothing like the excitement and energy that all these children possess!

Today was extra special for my wife, Shari and I, as we had not only our son Randall home visiting this past week, but he also brought home a very special someone named "Claire" who has danced into his heart and life. She hails from Denmark and attends a school in the NYC area! We also celebrated Shari's parents, Rillon and Shirley Anderson's, 49th wedding anniversary!! They are outstanding examples of devotion and faithfulness to us! It has been a very full and fulfilling weekend for us! I am looking forward to all that God has in store in the coming days!

Join Me!!

I am anticipating another great mid-week service tonight as we look intently upon the life and ministry of the prophet Malachi!

The name Malachi means "my messenger" or " the messenger of the Lord". He was a person of strict integrity and intense devotion to God. His staunch convictions included faithfulness to God's covenant. He consistently spoke against hypocritical and perfunctory worship, idolatry, divorce, and the robbing of God through tithes and offerings.

Malachi addressed the spiritual climate and neglect that was taking place during his lifetime. People had become horribly cynical and had begun to doubt God's love and promises. They had come to the dangerous position of believing that there wasn't any additional profit or gain to be achieved by continuing to obey God's commands. Faith in God was at an all time low and Temple worship had become mechanical and insensitive.

Malachi proceeds to confront the priests and people for their apathy and sins. He calls upon them to return to their previous enthusiasm and sincerity in obedience to God's ways and in genuine worship.

So much of what he dealt with we see still being replicated in our lifetime as well.

Join me tonight at 7:00 PM for another insightful and life re-calibrating message!

Wednesday Service!

Just when it seems everything good and great is LOST..... God sends ONE...... God always has a CHOSEN ONE!! That ONE could be YOU!! You could become the ONE God uses to encourage someone else. You could become the ONE to start a much needed ministry! You could be the ONE to lead another to Christ! You could be the ONE to spark a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit! Join me tonight at Sunset Chapel as we look at the life of ONE of the Bible's greatest individuals that God used to change a nation! This persons example of prayer is something we can incorporate into our own lives and get answers. God always answers prayer. And He always answers prayers that are made in FAITH, TRUST AND ENTIRE DEPENDENCE UPON HIM!! Bring your Bible, pen and paper and a friend as we dig deep into the Word tonight at 7 PM!!

Are You NEW to Sunset Chapel? This is the Class for YOU!

Join Us for Water Baptism Service!

Mark Your Calendars for June 5th!

Join us this Sunday for Mothers Day!

We Are Giving Away a FREE Stainless Steel Refrigerator!

Bring 3!

Sunday Splash!!

*We experienced another tremendous day at Sunset Chapel today!!

*It was great seeing Douglas Flores once again leading worship after recovering from an extended illness! He and the entire worship team did a fantastic job of leading us into the presence of God!

*I was humbled at the sight of so many who came around the altar for prayer today. There are so many with deep hurts and wounds in their hearts. I truly believe that God worked a great miracle in many of their circumstances!!

*It was also a pleasure to introduce Missionaries Jim and Meg Thacker to the Sunset Chapel family today. These are two of the Assemblies of God's finest! What a heart for the lost people of Central Africa!! His passion and enthusiasm will linger in our minds for a long time! Meg also spoke to our children for a few minutes in Kid's Inc. and the children were captivated by her stories of what God is doing in Burundi! SEVEN of our children stepped forward and allowed Meg to pray with them about becoming missionaries for God once they grow up into adults! BOOM! Take that devil!!

*We welcomed our new Student Ministries Pastor to SC today! Jose and Shayna Rivera are here to stay and rock our city and students for Jesus Christ!! You will absolutely love the excitement and energy that this young couple brings to Sunset Chapel and our city!! Students don't miss the kick off to their ministry this Wednesday at 7 PM!! IT WILL BE UNFORGETTABLE!!

*We announced that next week we will be hosting an all church missions dinner next Sunday immediately following the worship service! Please bring with you a hearty dish of food representing the country you are from! With so many attenders at Sunset Chapel representing different countries and cultural backgrounds this is going to be a lot of fun!!! Contact the church office and they will make a table sign indicating the name of the food you've prepared and what country it represents!! I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS EVENT!!

*I made a sweet announcement this morning!! I asked everyone to bring THREE guests with them to our Easter Weekend Services!! It was an awesome sight watching people line up and get their tickets for their family and friends! A couple hundred tickets have already been distributed for these two services!! The tickets are great reminders to those you invite that something special is going to take place at Sunset Chapel! No one will be turned away. They (the tickets) will help us decide if we need to add additional chairs for the services!! We will have two opportunities for them and you to enjoy the Easter Worship Musical and ministry that will be taking place! Some of your best friends are just one more invitation away from visiting SC with you! Ask them to join you for this very special weekend!

*Don't forget to join us on Wednesdays for our study into the Book Of James! This book is filled with practical insights that you will find very helpful in your Christian walk! Bring your Bible, a pen and notebook with you!

Talk is cheap!

Incredible! Breaking News! The Greatest Ever! Everyday we are inundated with a flood of extravagant claims as we flip through the pages of our favorite magazines or surf the zillion channel choices on our flat screen televisions! For a small investment we can own the trendiest and most fashionable clothes, possess whiter teeth, eat the tastiest foods, drink the world's finest beverage and drive the fastest, sleekest, most upgraded vehicle ever!! And all these are "guaranteed" to bring you instant friendships, happiness and success!! BUT TALK IS CHEAP!!

Christians make a lot of claims too! Jesus is the Answer! Believe in God! Follow me to Church! Often we are guilty of living OPPOSITE of our claims. Our ACTIONS and ATTITUDES don't line up with our words. Possessing all the right answers many are contradicting the Gospel with their lives. TALK IS CHEAP!!

"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?" James 2:14 (MSG). The truth and reality of our faith... is in a "CHANGED LIFE!!" Genuine faith... SHOULD INEVITABLY PRODUCE GOOD WORKS!

I want to invite you to join us as we kick off our brand new study on the "Book of James" Wednesdays @ 7 PM!! CONFRONTATION, CHALLENGE, and COMMITMENT await you on every single page of this practical letter to Christ followers! Bring your Bible, pen and a journal each week to write down the valuable insights I will be sharing with you! This letter was written to help us UNDERSTAND and ATTAIN spiritual maturity in our lives! This will be good!

Sunset Chapel is aggressively reaching out to people who want to connect with God and His church. God has placed His hand on Sunset Chapel, and we truly believe the best is yet to come!

Every person who desires to become a member of Sunset Chapel must attend our New Member's Class during the month of March. This four week class will inform you about how we relate to each other, protect the unity of our church, share in the responsibility of our church and discover what our fundamental beliefs and core values are. This class will be taught by Russ Barbour and Pastor Russ De Bord. Participants will meet in classroom 208 every Sunday at 9:30 AM

Sunday Splash!

*Word's cannot express all that God did today at Sunset Chapel!

*The month of January has been a total blast!!

*Excitement about what the future holds for SC is spreading!!

*Every week during this first month of ministry in 2011 God has brought numerous new people to our church.

*Along with all the new guests there is a fresh and enthusiastic atmosphere in our services.

*Our series "Framing Your Destiny From God's Perspective" has had a huge impact on people's lives! Many have found their lives re-calibrated by God's affirmation and guidance!

*Watching and listening to everyone worship God with passion has thrilled my heart. I believe that God has favored us with His presence and power.

*Our worship team continues to bring their "A" game each week! Did anyone notice that our drummer was so blessed he lost his socks!!

*Again we observed people in our 10:30 AM service raising their hands and accepting Christ into their hearts and lives. THAT REALLY FIRES ME UP!! Here's an early heads up!! Mark your calendars for February 27th for our next Watermark Water Baptism Experience!!

*Did you know that our Kid's Inc. Ministry had 40 children and 7 volunteers this morning representing 25% of our attendance today!! I was informed that even 5 children accepted Christ into their hearts too!! WOW!!

*I can hardly wait to see what God has next for us!! The month of February will be just as exciting!! We will be rolling out a new series beginning Sunday February 13th! I can't wait to share with you what God has been speaking into my heart! I promise you that it will be good!!

*More life groups start up this week. Be sure to contact the church office to find one near you! *Elevate your life and join the journey of life with others!!

Testimony ... Can Somebody Say AMEN!!

We continue to receive testimonies of miracles and healings! On my way into the office this morning I received another testimony from Marcus Simmonds who has been attending Sunset Chapel for about 7-8 months! And I am re-posting it with his permission . . . Please read the following e-mail and be encouraged to know that God cares for you no matter what! Develop the audacious faith to believe God for whatever it is that you need! Nothing is impossible for Him!!

Many of you many not know but for the last three months I have been having a constant irregularity of the rhythm of my heart beat (I mean constant). I was beginning to have difficulty in focusing on the very basics of life and felt like everyday was a challenge just to make it through the day. My faith began to draw weak and I started feel like I was not worthy to be part of my fathers house . . . . I went to doctors who had no answers, the specialist has hooked me up to an event recorder which I still walk around with as we speak and I am certain it will document my miracle and prove that the real physician stepped in after much prayer of others for me . . .!!! I now realize that anything that causes us to draw closer to the cross is a good cause despite how difficult it is to bear.

Literally in an instant all the symptoms disappeared ... I was taken by such surprise that I had to ask Monique if I was dreaming ... The past 3 days I have been 100% symptom free and feeling like a new human being. As far as what I have felt over the last 3 months and what I felt over the last 3 days this is my miracle that I claim in the name of Jesus!!! There was a hesitation for me to make this claim as I thought I should wait a few weeks to see if it is really gone, but the Lord revealed to me that it is through faith that this claim can even be made.

Well today as I reflect on my miraculous healing, I was drawn to the scripture John 15 vs 1-17 spoken at church on Sunday that teaches us why God allows us to go through what we deem as challenges but he views as pruning our branches to allow us to be more fruitful. If we are obedient to his word it teaches us to love one another as he loves us ... he calls us friends and not servants because a servant does not know his master's business and we know our father's works and business. When we are saved we are branches on the holy vine ... If our branch separates from the vine we whither and die!

I would like to thank my wife Monique whom I know prayed in great faith for my healing and all those in our church community who prayed for me!! The Bible teaches us that where two or more gather in his name he is present . . . . I can't tell you where in the scripture it is but I know it is there!! :-)

I would like to thank God for our Pastor Russ who has been a beacon of strength for me since moving back to South Florida which I am sure he doesn't even know. God uses us as vessels to carry his word to believers and non-believers, but his word lives in certain people, others it flows through them . . . . . his Word lives in Pastor Russ!

All Glory to God! This is my testimony and witness.

Marcus Simmonds

Sunday Splash!

*Today was one of our greatest days at Sunset Chapel! It's very hard to imagine that we could ever have a better service at SC than we experienced this morning!

*There were a number of new faces in the crowd today. I love getting to meet your guests!! Have you noticed the growth that is taking place here at SC??? God is up to something!!!

*From the very beginning of the service you could sense that God was going to unleash His presence in a very special way!

*Our worship team was better than ever... they just tore it up!! Is it me or can you too sense that God is using them in a profound way?? Loved the addition of Ross Walters to the team today. Even if he was here just for one service, his contribution was outstanding! He blessed us with a short performance prior to my speaking and he literally hit a home run!! I love the saxophone and he is an extremely gifted musician!!

*Sometimes we make the right decisions and do the right things... only to experience wrong results. I hate when that happens to me. We looked at Joseph's life a little closer today and discovered that although he was obedient and trustworthy things didn't always initially turn out the way he had hoped. It took some time, some testing and some character building moments in his life before he obtained the destiny that God had in mind for him! BUT HE NEVER GAVE UP!! And neither can we.

*At the beginning of my message I shared with everyone that I believed that God had whispered into my heart that He was going to unlock the personal prison that several felt they were entrapped in. And He didn't disappoint! The altar call was incredible!! It was a sight I won't easily forget! I truly believe that God honored His Word today and we will be hearing some great testimonies in the near future!! Some of those set free today have had to persevere through a prolonged period of time... but today was their day of freedom and healing!! Jeremiah 29:11-14a still rings true!!

*At the conclusion of our service I challenged everyone in the service to get their friend's here next weekend as we wrap up our "Framing Your Destiny from God's Perspective" series! God has saved the BEST message for the last! God's House will be ROCKIN next weekend! Don't you dare miss this service!

*Keep in prayer our brand new Life Group ministry! Our home fellowship's kick off all week long! Get connected soon if you haven't joined one yet. Contact the church office this week and "LIVE LIFE ELEVATED"!!

Sunday Splash!

• My heart wants to explode with joy! It's so obvious that God is blessing Sunset Chapel in AMAZING ways!!
• Prior to today's service I received some much needed anointed encouragement from a dear brother. I love this godly man! Thanks Maurice!!
• I seriously prayed hard over today's message. Not sure I did a good job of presenting it, but I did my best. I do think it hit home with quite a few. God has an awesome destiny in mind for all of us if we will surrender our entire lives to His guidance!
• It's great continuing to see the steady stream of guest's showing up at Sunset Chapel week after week! I am so grateful that so many of our SC people have joined their efforts and hearts to God's vision and we are now seeing our church grow!! Keep this in mind, many are just ONE INVITE away from joining you here at SC. Don't give up--try one more time!! The last two messages in our current series will rock their lives!! God wants to change their destiny's!! Phone, email, text, personally go to someone this week and invite them to SC next weekend!!
• Never underestimate the power of music in a church service. It can change everything! Our worship team under Douglas Flores direction continues to improve week after week. Anybody walking into our building this morning could sense the tangible presence of the Lord. Our worship team did a great job today spreading the atmosphere of heaven in our service!!

• What a thrilling end to our service as we conducted water baptisms!! It never gets old seeing people GO PUBLIC for Jesus!! We need to have more services like today!!
• Don't forget that our Life Groups kick off January 24-29th!! Contact the church to see which groups still have openings! Also we are still looking for additional locations and small group leader's. Resources are available at the church office for your consideration. Join a group today and enjoy building life long relationships, study God's Word, spend some time in prayer and have fun at the same time!! (Shari and I still have some slot's available for our home group. Call me.)
• Before I close let me share a need with you. We have had several guests attend recently who are enjoying our services and ministries but they need a translator. We have a special booth all set up and personal devices that they can use. But we need someone to step up and help us allow them to connect with what God is saying at doing at SC. Call me at the church if this announcement is speaking to you about getting involved!!

Dufflebag Sunday!! Jan 16th

Baptism is a very important event in the life of any new Christian. And I know that we go to great lengths to make sure the celebration is done just right!

At the beginning of the service, we will briefly explain the meaning of baptism. each participant will receive a free t-shirt and a baptism certificate!

Water Baptism is one of the most meaningful events in a person's spiritual journey. The Bible clearly teaches that baptism is the next step after giving your life to Jesus. Baptism is your chance to stand up and tell the world about your personal commitment to follow Christ.

What is the meaning of Baptism?

• It illustrates Christ's burial and resurrection.
• Christ died for our sins...He was buried...and He rose again! (I Corinthians 15:3-4)
• For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in Baptism you were also raised with Christ! (Colossians 2:12)
• It illustrates your new life as a Christian.
• When someone becomes a Christian, he or she becomes a brand new person on the inside. The old life has passed away and a new life has begun!

Baptism doesn't make you a Christian.

• Only your faith in Christ does that.
• Baptism is like a wedding ring - it's the outward sign of the commitment you have made in your heart.

Who should be Baptized?

• All believers as soon as they have accepted Christ
• A believer is someone who has realized that their sin separated them from God. They have given up all efforts to reach God through good works or religious activity. They have concluded that Jesus Christ's death on the cross for their sins is the only thing that can bridge the gap between them and God.
• A believer is someone who had decided to trust Christ alone for their salvation. If you have come to that point in your spiritual journey, then you are ready to be baptized!
• Those who believed...were baptized...that day! (Acts 2:41)
• There is no reason to delay!
• As soon as you have decided to receive Christ into your life, you can and should be baptized.

Our next Baptism Experience will take place this coming Sunday, Jan 16th.

Can I be baptized with my spouse, child, or their family members?

• Yes! If more than one member of your family is being baptized, we will have you come into the baptism tank together to be baptized.

What should I wear?

• Plan to wear your bathing suit or shorts with a t-shirt into the pool(we will provide you with a free "Watermark" t-shirt you can keep) once everyone has been baptized you will have access to rooms in the main building to change into your dry clothes. Oh yeah, don't forget to bring in your dufflebag a dry towel,change of clothes, blow dryer and a hairbrush or comb.

Can I invite people to attend the baptism if they don't belong to Sunset Chapel?

• Absolutely! We encourage you to invite your friends, family, co-workers, classmates, etc...to be a part of this special day! And don't forget to bring a camera so you can have someone take a photo during your baptism.

I pray that many will take the plunge this Sunday and acknowledge Christ in their lives. It will be one of the most phenomenal experiences of your life!

Is there someone you could invite to church this weekend who could use this experience? Your invitation could initiate one of the most important days of someones life. We will have numerous baptism kits (shirts, shorts, towels) prepared for those who want to spontaneously participate this weekend. This will be a BIG DAY at Sunset Chapel!

Sunday Splash!

*Another TERRIFIC DAY at Sunset Chapel!!

*I am so proud of our ministry teams! Each one of you are MVP's in my book!! Every weekend it seems like you all keep stepping up your game! We had so many first time guests this weekend and our greeters were the extra eyes for me, helping me to make contact and welcome each one to our service!

*One of the best compliments we received was when one of the couple's visiting for the first time stated that they felt so welcomed and at home! Then they told me they were making Sunset Chapel their new church home!! Welcome Oscar and Anna!!

*So many of you actually took up the challenge I gave the previous weekend and you distributed an invite ticket to someone and asked them to be your guest at SC today! You are all so AWESOME for doing that!! Be sure to follow up on that invitation soon! People are more likely to visit a church from a personal invitation than by any other means of church marketing!

*I truly believe that our best and most productive days are still ahead of us!! 2011 IS OUR YEAR OF OPPORTUNITY AND GROWTH!!

*Today I shared the second message in our current series "Framing Your Destiny From God's Perspective"!! It really seemed like everyone was tracking with everything I was saying. I try my best each weekend to make God's message understandable to all who attend our worship experiences. We learned a little bit more about Joseph and the challenges he faced on his journey towards the destiny God had in mind for him. We were able to discover from the scriptures that THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD was with him. And wherever he was in his life, God's favor rested upon him because he was faithful to keep the Lord as his number one focus! This new series is turning out to be one of the most incredible one's we've done yet!

*I can't even describe to you how excited I am to be baptizing people next weekend in our service! If you haven't taken that NEXT STEP and followed Christ's example, then consider participating with us in this service next Sunday! I will post later some info to help you make that decision! Two people made commitments to ask Christ into their hearts and lives at the conclusion of today's service! That was so AWESOME!!

*Our day of ministry was highlighted by seeing dozen's and dozen's of people joining themselves to our brand new "Life Group's!" We conducted our first "Slice of Life Connection Night" at 6 PM and enjoyed a fantastic evening of getting to know one another better, laughing together and eating some delicious slices of pie! We gave everyone an opportunity to hear about some of the great ministries we have here at SC and described for them the current needs and how they could get plugged in! Afterwards we formed 10 "Life-Group's." I'm very excited to watch these groups develop relationships and share life together! LIVE YOUR LIFE ELEVATED and consider joining one of these current groups, or form your own. Contact the church office for more detail's about this new and exciting way to connect and grow! We still have many resources we can provide to those who want to start their own "Life-Group." The official kick off to our new "Life-Group" ministry will be the week of January 24-29.

*My eyes are getting heavy. Time for bed, have a great week!!

Sunday Splash!

Today's service was just superb!! It all started for me yesterday when I was on our church campus prepping for the service by looking over my message notes. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, I entered our main sanctuary and began to walk up and down the rows of chairs praying and anointing each one. In my heart and mind I began to sense that God was preparing the room for a spiritual breakthrough!

Our service today wasn't without some minor challenges. But I tip my hat to all our ministry teams for making extraordinary efforts to see that our First Sunday of 2011 was memorable!! Douglas Flores and the worship team were simply outstanding! And what a welcome sight to see and hear John Kricker up on the stage playing his instrument once again! That dude can play!!

Nearly every seat was taken on the main floor this morning! Our ushers and greeters were getting a real workout! I met so many new people.. some of those I greeted this morning were Rose, Jonathan, Jose, and from Australia, Daniel and Ruchi! Welcome to SC!! During the service I requested that each person take one invite card and use it to share with someone in the coming week! I am hopeful and expectant that we will have to open up our balcony area as an overflow area next weekend!! That would be so cool!!

I shared some of the resolutions I am making as we start the new year and challenged everyone to join me in some of these:

• Read the Bible completely in 2011. I am using the M'Cheyne Plan from YouVersion.com! Go and pick a plan that will work best for you!
• I love to read books but I committed to read intentionally 12 books on developing myself as a better pastor and spiritual leader! I will let everyone know what I'm reading in future updates!
• I am beginning a 21 Day Fast to increase my time spent in Bible study and Prayer! I chose to give up coffee during this time period.. that will be a hard sacrifice for me! I almost shed a tear as we drove past a Starbucks on the way home!
• I also committed to get more physical activity in my life! I have gained so much weight since moving here to Miami 18 months ago! The food here is soooo good!! Already Shari and I have walked daily at least 2 miles and I've played some golf! Not a bad start.

Today we kicked off a brand new series of messages called "Framing Your Destiny From God's Perspective!" Don't stay locked into your past... it's time to move ahead into the specific design, dream and destiny that God has for you!! His favor is upon His children! He doesn't see you imprisoned to your challenges, difficulties and problems. He sees you overcoming, prosperous and living in victory! We looked closely at the life of Joseph and saw how he overcame the obstacles and struggles to become a second chair leader!! Jeremiah 29:11-14 reminds us that God has "a future and a hope" for each one of us! Be sure you make it each week to hear these messages! You and your family are going to get so much help from the insights I will be sharing!