Have you reached your Potential?

Centenario de un fusilamiento

2011-05-31T19:13:00.000-04:00

Hurgando en los anales históricos de nuestro país, logré encontrar un pequeño rastro que me condujo a conocer a todos los hermanos y hermana de mi abuelo Antonio, así como saber quienes fueron sus padres, o sea, ya logré llegar a conocer a mis bisabuelos Antonio y María!

Pues resulta que Antonio y María procrearon 6 hijos, Ma. Esther, Antonio, Aureliano, David, Miguel y José Sabás... este último fue el fundador del periódico "Voz Del Norte" que se distribuia en Mocorito, Sinaloa. y que aparentemente sigue siendo publicado: Me encontré este artículo del tío Sabás:

"¿Qué placer puede experimentar el que escribe un anónimo, con la intención dolosa de hacer daño? Si ahondamos un poco, descubrimos con sorpresa que en un rincón de la vida hay monstruos que esgrimen esa arma para vengar agravios. Y si ahondamos más todavía, encontramos al hombre que va con su veneno manchando cuanto encuentra. Herir a mansalva es obra de pequeños, de insignificantes que nada son y que en resumen nada valen, parodiando una frase feliz del señor Lic. Emeterio de la Garza Jr.

Si existen a flor de tierra personas que en realidad se interesan por el bienestar de los demás y que desean salvar de algún peligro dándoseles puntos y señas de algo que les afecta directamente, ¿por qué no presentarse tales cuales son y sin la careta del misterio? El anónimo puede influir, y de hecho influye, en espíritus vacilantes y débiles; el anónimo es un roedor terrible que al fin y a la postre preocupa a las almas honradas; luego si el que está inclinado a prestar su ayuda al que la necesita, sea para exhibir al criminal, sea para atraer el convencimiento de que aquello o el de más allá ha perdido su honor, ¿Por qué no dar un paso firme en el camino del derecho y de la legalidad?
Entonces el denunciado y el aludido, por deber, por delicadeza y por obligación, tendría que erguirse o sucumbir en el terreno de las pruebas claras, precisas, irrefutables. El que arroja un anónimo tiene la libertad de servirse a su gusto de cuanto venga a la memoria, pero colocado frente al que ha dirigido sus tiros, esa libertad se extingue, concluye, se acaba, termina de un golpe y porrazo.
Por lo general, el autor del anónimo desciende a la vida privada: allí se apega, allí muerde, allí se hace sangre. Está reconocido por los hombres de valor y de cerebro de todos los tiempos y de todas las épocas, pensadores y filósofos, legisladores y políticos, que la vida privada de cada uno no debe tocarse, porque es única, es sagrada, porque en suma, no nos pertenece ir a investigar con el escalpelo de la censura o de la crítica mordaz, lo que la mujer o el hombre sin dar escándalo, ni andar de calle en calle, ni de plaza en plaza, pueda hacer o sea capaz de hacerlo…
Entrando en otro orden de cosas, a una mujer de esas que van a dar al arroyo, y comercian con su cuerpo y su corazón, aun cuando nos consten sus deslices, no estamos autorizados para gritárselos en público. Y es que a su vida privada no tenemos que penetrar de igual manera que penetramos a una plaza de toros donde todos vociferan ruidosamente."

El tio José Sabás fue fusilado el día 31 de mayo de 1911 por las fuerzas maderistas que habían entrado y tomado la ciudad de Mocorito... Un hombre que llevó hasta sus últimas consecuencias, su convicción, su civismo y su vida.

Centenario de un fusilamiento

2011-05-31T19:11:00.000-04:00

Pues resulta que Antonio y María procrearon 6 hijos, Ma. Esther, Antonio, Aureliano, David, Miguel y José Sabás... este último fue el fundador del periódico "Voz Del Norte" que se distribuia en Mocorito, Sinaloa. y que aparentemente sigue siendo publicado: Me encontré este artículo del tío Sabás:

"¿Qué placer puede experimentar el que escribe un anónimo, con la intención dolosa de hacer daño? Si ahondamos un poco, descubrimos con sorpresa que en un rincón de la vida hay monstruos que esgrimen esa arma para vengar agravios. Y si ahondamos más todavía, encontramos al hombre que va con su veneno manchando cuanto encuentra. Herir a mansalva es obra de pequeños, de insignificantes que nada son y que en resumen nada valen, parodiando una frase feliz del señor Lic. Emeterio de la Garza Jr.

Si existen a flor de tierra personas que en realidad se interesan por el bienestar de los demás y que desean salvar de algún peligro dándoseles puntos y señas de algo que les afecta directamente, ¿por qué no presentarse tales cuales son y sin la careta del misterio? El anónimo puede influir, y de hecho influye, en espíritus vacilantes y débiles; el anónimo es un roedor terrible que al fin y a la postre preocupa a las almas honradas; luego si el que está inclinado a prestar su ayuda al que la necesita, sea para exhibir al criminal, sea para atraer el convencimiento de que aquello o el de más allá ha perdido su honor, ¿Por qué no dar un paso firme en el camino del derecho y de la legalidad?
Entonces el denunciado y el aludido, por deber, por delicadeza y por obligación, tendría que erguirse o sucumbir en el terreno de las pruebas claras, precisas, irrefutables. El que arroja un anónimo tiene la libertad de servirse a su gusto de cuanto venga a la memoria, pero colocado frente al que ha dirigido sus tiros, esa libertad se extingue, concluye, se acaba, termina de un golpe y porrazo.
Por lo general, el autor del anónimo desciende a la vida privada: allí se apega, allí muerde, allí se hace sangre. Está reconocido por los hombres de valor y de cerebro de todos los tiempos y de todas las épocas, pensadores y filósofos, legisladores y políticos, que la vida privada de cada uno no debe tocarse, porque es única, es sagrada, porque en suma, no nos pertenece ir a investigar con el escalpelo de la censura o de la crítica mordaz, lo que la mujer o el hombre sin dar escándalo, ni andar de calle en calle, ni de plaza en plaza, pueda hacer o sea capaz de hacerlo…
Entrando en otro orden de cosas, a una mujer de esas que van a dar al arroyo, y comercian con su cuerpo y su corazón, aun cuando nos consten sus deslices, no estamos autorizados para gritárselos en público. Y es que a su vida privada no tenemos que penetrar de igual manera que penetramos a una plaza de toros donde todos vociferan ruidosamente."

El tio José Sabás fue fusilado el día 31 de mayo de 1911 por las fuerzas maderistas que habían entrado y tomado la ciudad de Mocorito... Un hombre que llevó hasta sus últimas consecuencias, su convicción, su civismo y su vida.

Are you young at heart?

2011-03-10T08:52:00.000-05:00

"Fairy tales can come true it can happen to you,
if you're young at heart." Today is the first day of a new stage of my life, and I know that there is a lot of thing to be done, and I discovered that aging is a matter of a way of thinking. You'll become old, the day you stop learning, challenging yourself, trying to make your life "easier". Paul wrote on the Bible: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." So, renew your mind every day, and no matter if you are 18 or 105, you'll be young, not only at Heart, but also at Life!

A good advise!

2010-07-17T12:19:00.000-04:00

I visited a friend of mine who lives on the middle of the loneliness and as part of our conversation he shared with me "I give advise to no one, because those who are wise, they don't need it and those who are dumb, are unable to follow it". After our conversation, I was thinking of what he shared with me... on the popular phrases there is wisdom, nevertheless as my friend said, "dumbs are unable to follow advise" and there is a lot of people who believe "No one get experience from others".

I believe that wisdom depends of our capability to learn from the experience of others, so the wise have been those who are able to observe the other's actions, and they are able to get conclusions from there, avoid their mistakes and are able to improve the good.

There is a proverb that says "If you don't get advise you will never be an old man..."

And there is this olive for your cocktail...

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."

Truth or dare?

2009-11-09T21:48:00.007-05:00

One of the things that is surprising to me today, is the low value that many people assign to their own promises. Teenagers don't believe their parents, because they never fulfill their promises; Couples say "I'll stand by you forever" and few months later they walk on the opposite direction; politicians make promises to earn votes, and once the election is done, they forgot about it. I remember one of the first things I learned from my grandmother it was the value of my word. "A gentleman always fulfill his promises, a man with no word has no honor" and I learned to live by that principle. Few weeks ago, I was having a discussion with one of the leaders on the youth ministry at Flamingo Road Church about some technical difficulties we were experiencing during the broadcasting of our Student Service online, and I challenged him to fix the failures, so if he would complete the task with no errors, I will do my hair like him... (He had a Mohawk haircut with pink) another leader hear me and she said... "I dare you... you don't" and all I said was, well if you make it work, I'll do it. You have my word... and guess what... they made it work with no failure... I had a lot of arguments to don't accomplish the challenge, "I'm a pastor, and what if I need to do a funeral..." or "I was kidding..." or any other reason but I gave my word... and that was enough to me to complete the task, so here I am... truth or dare? Finally, the Student Ministry Internet Campus won the challenge, and I also won because the service now runs with no tech issues... it has been a lot of fun and a very challenging but interesting experience with my "Pink Mohawk Look". Do you agree?

The Tree of faith!

2009-11-08T12:53:00.006-05:00

Last January we were on the process of buying our house, by that time we really did't knew for sure if we could get the property for what we offered... at that time, it was uncertain the purchase of the property, but we saw a tall Christmas tree and I always wanted to have a tall tree at home and I told Dora: "We are going to buy that tree, on faith" I knew that we didn't know for sure if we were going to get our dream house, but on faith we decided to buy the tree (It was also 75% off), so we bought it and stored until we purchased our house... then it was the first box to be placed on the attic, besides other Christmas purchases and we decided to bring it on before thanks giving, so here is a picture of the just unpacked and lighted tree of the faith... Decorations will come soon!

Just a little...

2009-10-03T21:17:00.004-04:00

I had the opportunity to share just a little bit of my life on a short video at Flamingo Road Church. Here is it...

Arturo De la Mora Testimony from Arturo De la Mora on Vimeo.

The De la Mora Crest

2009-05-03T23:02:00.002-04:00

After some research, I found the Family Crest and it is just like the one I remember it was on my Grandmother's house. I always wonder why it was there, just hanging on the entrance, no one gave me an explanation of it, it was there just like any other picture on the wall. There was always a lot of mystery on the stories of my Granddad, all I knew, he was a great band director and musician and that's all... no other comments, except that my grandmother told me once that she remember when the elected president, Don Adolfo de la Huerta visited the house when my dad was born in 1924 he came on a big limousine to visit my granddad and to meet the newborn. After few months, the president was derogated and he moved to USA, also my family moved to Wichita, Kansas because of political pressure on my granddad who was Minister of de la Huerta's cabinet... after that, in 1927, my granddad died at the age of 42 because of overweight and alcohol. My grandmother moved back to Mexico with my dad and she was expecting another child... my uncle Jorge. All the family information was stored on the closet of forgetfulness. Now I just start some research looking for the roots of my family... knowing your past will help you to have a better understanding of your today, to help you build a better tomorrow.

Easter at Dania Beach

2009-04-12T15:23:00.005-04:00

Today at Dania Beach, we had the privilege to baptize more than 500 people, who decided to commit their life to Christ and have a fresh start. At Sunrise, we walked in to the waters of Atlantic Ocean and we saw how person after person, kids, teenagers, adults and people from all ages got baptized. One very special baptism was my daughter Paulina, she decided to recommit her life to Christ and follow him on baptism. I will always remember this Easter morning.

Sol's Birthday

2009-03-22T11:28:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, my beloved daughter Sol celebrated her 9th Birthday, and it was a two day celebration... so early on the morning we sang "Las Mañanitas" and "Happy Birthday to you " and on Saturday we had the party at our new home, so on the middle of all painting and repairs, we had her friends and my beloved prepared some nice art activities for the girls, we had fun, pizza, and we had the traditional Piñata and few games. We just remember how nine years ago, we were on our way to Fort Lauderdale from Mexico and while we were at Orlando, she was born. Here are some of the picture of the party:

On my way!

2009-03-15T23:14:00.004-04:00

After several trials, I got the color/texture I wanted for my bedroom. Since We moved to our new house, it has been a trial-error process, from demolishing to paint. I really wanted for my bedroom a special finish on the paint, and on our first trial, we were unsuccessful, so, we tried again, and again, and finally, I got it... and as my Pastor, Troy Gramling has encouraged us to reach our potential, some times we get discouraged after a failure, and we have two options, give up, or apply our values, think and try again. Never take a failure as a destination, failure should be always only a stop on our way to success!

Surprise Birthday Party!

2009-03-11T11:44:00.004-04:00

From 2009 Arturo's Birthday

Yesterday my beloved prepared me a surprise party at our new house and we got Tacos with green and red mole, also Sarai, baked a cake, and Tania decorated it. Paulina and Sol helped with the decoration, and my beloved she coordinated everything. I got 264 messages on my facebook page, 28 email messages and three comments on my blog. I also got a surprise at the office from my friends with balloons and a singing "Happy Birthday" balloon with Elvis voice, a special treat with chocolate, mousse and delicious strawberries, and multiple cards. It was a very special birthday, I'm now 48, but celebrating at our new house it was a great blessing. Thanks to every one who send me a message or text or email or comment or card... it is so great to see God's love trough others.

What a way to celebrate a B-day!

2009-03-09T21:21:00.004-04:00

I'm celebrating my 48th Birthday with a new house for my family, it has been a loooooooong process but finally, last Wednesday we sign our first house in US, and we start the process of moving in and adapting the house to our likeness, our colors, ideas and more... It has been fun painting, demolishing some walls, choosing colors, selecting some new furniture, discussing some changes... but the most important thing, is that we are doing all as a family, and is helping us to share leadership, tasks, duties, games, and fun... God has been really good with us. Tomorrow we will celebrate my b-day at home, between dust, paint, tools, love and fun.

Wailing Wall

2009-03-09T12:26:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, Troy Gramling, my pastor, shared a great teaching about what is important, while he launched the Series "Hell no, It Matters". What is relevant about this series, is that we have to remember that is not about us, but others. At the end of the service, people was able to write the name of at least 3 persons to pray for, and placed on the walls we prepared for that purpose at church. On the Internet Campus, we also created a special form that allowed people from all over the world to connect and to participate on this task, they wrote the names on the form, and the Campus Pastor was able to write those names on different cards and put it on the wall. The line between a physical campus and an Internet Campus is getting blurred, I think soon the Internet Campus will be, just "Campus".

Real Food...

2009-02-25T11:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to eat with a very good friend seeking for a Healthy place to eat, and we found a Salads Place... and we got a mmm... delicious Salad, healthy, nutritious, but before start eating I was wondering if that is enough to have my body running, and I just remember, that some like my plate, is what real food eats... so if a cow can survive with this, I'll do it too...

Well seriously... I'm so used to eat unhealthy that will be hard to me to get used to healthy food, but I already make that decision. I will eat healthy by choice, and may be some day, I will see a plate like this like real food for me...

The Real Gioconda

2009-02-22T12:01:00.004-05:00

On the XVI Century, Leonardo Da Vincy created the Master Piece "La Gioconda" and it was the prototype of Renaissance. Last week we went to Key West and I got a picture that was my own and personal Gioconda, so here is my own graphical version of it. This is one of my three Master Pieces, so enjoy.

Key West

2009-02-17T11:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was President's day in US, so we had an opportunity to have a quick day off, and since we have been at Florida for almost 9 years now, and we have never visited The Keys, we drove all the way down to Key West, it was a fun experience, we had an opportunity to explore the 2nd largest Coral Reef... and I realized that I have not been swimming on the sea in the last 12 years... at least... Thanks God I'm been at the Gym recovering physical condition, because you need all your streght to swimm at open sea... My daughters swimmed like dolphins and me as a whale... It is good to remember how important is to keep yourself in shape, because time will send the bill and it will be really high when you are not taking care of yourself.

A story to share

2009-02-09T12:33:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, my Pastor Troy Gramling teach about Marriage, and how important is to seek for the symptoms of what can be a massive "Heart Attack" and some suggestions on how to prevent it, if you missed it, check it at the FRC Archives.

My sister in law has been married for almost 10 years, Her husband was the one who introduced my beloved to me 12 years ago. Sadly she and her husband were having problems since the beginning of their relation fighting all the time. She accepted Christ a couple of years ago and she start praying for her husband, with no response, the problems grew and finally decided to end the relation and moved from California to Florida with her four kids. She came on faith and started attending Flamingo Road Church. On that period of time, her husband moved his eyes to Christ and accepted him as his savior, and he Fly from California to FL and he got baptized at FRC. That was their start of a new age on their marriage, they started conversations, and finally on December she moved back to California to fight again for her marriage. Since then they have been regularly attending a church with the whole family and all the kids. They found a retreat on FL, and they came as couple to the retreat. I was with them and I can see now how he is a complete transformed man, on his way to reach his potential, she keeps up the prayer for the marriage and together I'm sure that on the future they both will follow a call from God to help other couples in distress.

It is a great difference between having God in your marriage and don’t have it. Without God, your whole live is a fight, everyone is fighting to win, seeking satisfying their own needs and observing what is the other one doing. With God as the center of the marriage, you start seeking and satisfying your beloved one needs and you observe your own behavior. “I see what you need, I see what I do”.

This is a great opportunity for you to join us at Flamingo Road Church during “The Family Series”. There is always a lot of things that can help us to improve our life, to improve our marriage, and our relationships.

Common sense

2009-01-31T19:55:00.002-05:00

While I was loading the container today, I experienced the result of react, instead of act. I start passing the boxes to a friend who was helping me, and at some point we piled up the boxes on the Dolly to take it to the container, when we saw it, we just laugh about our common sense.

Some times in life we are so busy doing what we have to do, that we are unable to apply common sense, that is no other than stop for a second, think and execute… so act not react.. My little ones were really helpful and we had the opportunity to experience collaboration, thinking and fun. This moving story will continue… soon!

Moving out...

2009-01-30T16:45:00.003-05:00

It's funny, I started my day with Romans 12, later on my pastor had a meeting with the lead team sharing the same chapter, and two people more called me today about the same scripture... Is God talking to me? I think so. I’m on the middle of a complex moving process, so I have to store all my stuff, and in a few days I'll be moving in to a new place. It is really complex to move out! Why? We carry a lot of things in life, and many times unnecessary objects. At this point I and my beloved are reevaluating what to keep and what to discard, and Paul said on Romans 12:2 that we have to renew our understanding, discarding what is useless, keeping the functional and opening space for what is coming new. If we keep a bunch of unnecessary possessions, at some point we'll be with no capability to acquire new something, you name it. I needed to have a POD (Portable on Demand Storage) to move out, and to store my furniture while I'm able to move in onto a new place. I'll take a detailed look on the things we are storing, as well as I'll review what things in my life have become obsolete. There are days funnier than others. BTW... isn't incredible that is only one person required to move that huge container? LOL

Night Camping

2009-01-25T20:42:00.002-05:00

There is a lot of fun on outside camping when you are a kid. All you need is a tent, some grass, and a lot of imagination. Sol and Sarai, decided to camp outside tonight to enjoy the open sky and to see the stars, the Orion Belt and other constellations. They got a couple of quilts, some cushions and we all lay down to watch the sky... Looking at the Universe I cannot understand how some one can believe all of that it was an accident, just a Big Bang and Kaboom! Everything was created in perfect harmony. All I can do is to thank God for all of its creation, for my family, for my life.

Our Family Ethos:

2009-01-24T20:14:00.003-05:00

At Flamingo Road Church we encourage our staff and volunteers to live accordingly to FRC Ethos:

Diversity: Is there someone not like me?
Movement: Which direction am I going?
Collaboration: Who am I doing life with?
Potential: Is this the best that I can do?
Environment: How does it make me feel?
Thinking: Where am I thinking?

God created us with a great potential, the problem is that very often we are unable to reach ours, just because lack of direction. Working for Flamingo Road Church has helping me to understand the importance of this rules in my life and my pastor, Troy Gramling has given us great direction on how to do life together.

Living accordingly this ethos is not enough, because I believe I have to teach my little ones about it, I started late in my life to take care of my body, so it has been not easy for me to get in shape, start eating healthy etc... and I'm not there yet... as my friend Heredes said, "The best is yet to come", and now my beloved joined me on this venture as well as my daughters are now exercising regularly. My next challenge is to partner with my family to understand the importance of each of the FRC Ethos in our family life, so we can reach our God’s potential as family, experiencing together.

My Family Values:

God: Has been God your first priority today?
Family: We are together on this journey, so, are we doing our best for each other?
Fitness: Is this the best I can eat? Am I exercising constantly?
Diversity: Are all my friends like me?
Movement: Which Direction am I going?
Collaboration: Are we helping each other enough?
Potential: Is this the best I can do?
Environment: Is this the best I can keep my area?
Thinking: Am I reading enough, thinking enough?

This is just our first sketch, but soon we’ll be walking on the right direction to reach our God’s potential.

Lunch buddy

2009-01-22T21:15:00.004-05:00

Today I got a lunch invitation from a very special and beloved person, I´m talking about Sarai, my littlest one, she also invited her sister Sol and we were able to have lunch together. I'm glad I can have this opportunity often, I really enjoy having lunch together :)

The time never stops and every minute you lost, is gone forever, you cannot do anything to recover it. Pictures are little reminders of what you did and what you don´t. Do not procrastinate your family time... it will never get back. Give always quality time as well as quantity time.

History Today!

2009-01-20T12:34:00.003-05:00

History is being written every day and today it was a historical day. Barack Obama protested as the 44th president of the United States. Competition concluded, now is time to work. Democrat or Republican, the competition is done. 2009 it is a challenging year and as I watched the new president of USA gave his first speech as ruler of the most powerful country in the world, I was thinking on the responsibility that every one who lives on US has; being less critical and more proactive. No matter how big or small is our roll on this country. This is the time to give our best effort to continue writing today, what will be history tomorrow.

At Markham Park...

2009-01-19T21:27:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Martin Luther King, we had today some extra family time, so we went to Makham park to have some delicious Tostadas of Shrimp Ceviche made by my beloved. The girls were running and having fun and we enjoy the time together. We wanted to rent some boat but there was no service there today. We played volleyball, took some pictures and rescued our lost ball from the lake... a lot of fun. There is no more valuable time that the time you expend with your family. It will never be a lost of time. Family is the root, not only of society but also of success. God is my priority number 1, My beloved my number 2, and my family number 3. After that, you can name any other priorities. A strong family is the foundation of any great dream, vision or project.

Being persistent

2009-01-18T17:44:00.004-05:00

Some of my friends believe I’m a genius, but the truth is that no, I’m not. I’m just persistent; once I have an objective, I refuse to give up, and that is what makes a difference. A friend of mine has this poster on his office and I really like the clearness of the concept, so I got a picture of it and here is it. Why I'm telling you this, because I’m working on a really ambitious new project and I was discussing this venture with my son Alejandro and he reminded me how persistent am I. He inherited that determination and I’m sure he will accomplish whatever goal he set in front. Life is challenging all time, and when you give up you are missing the battle without fighting. One of the rules to reach your God’s potential is being persistent. What do you procrastinate that is holding you to reach your goals? What are you thinking to quit? Don't quit now... keep on it and you'll reach your dream.

Short Hair, Long Ideas

2009-01-17T12:26:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I went with Sol and Sarai to get her Hair cutted, and first they complained that they don't wanted their hair cutted... "I love my hair", Sol said, "I want it long", Sarai complained, but after I explained the advantages of having shorter hair, finally they both agreed... then today it was the time for me. So, I went to Prime Cut, with my friend Jack, that he always does a great job and help me to have, not only a hair cut, but also to look contemporary. Changes came from the strengt of leaving behind our "Old Hair" and accepting the posibility of something diferent in our lifes. If we don't accept the changes, then we became rusty. Today, me and my girls look great, with shorter hair and longer ideas! :)

Expectations / Disappointments

2009-01-16T18:35:00.003-05:00

The higher you’ll set your expectations the biggest your disappointment will be. Some times I’m getting confused between a dream and an expectation. The true is that the line in between is really blurred. The dictionary said that an expectation “is eager anticipation, is what is considered the most likely to happen. An expectation, which is a belief that is centered on the future, may or may not be realistic. A less advantageous result gives the rise of our expectation, and then it turns in to a surprise” Wow… so all dreamers are condemned to the disappointment? Do we have to be so realistic that our dreams never hurt us? I believe that the difference between a dream and an expectation is Vision. The Bible said that where is no vision, people perish and a vision must be part of the dream.

Trial and Error

2009-01-15T10:57:00.002-05:00

It is funny to have the same quote from two different sources on the same day. Today on the morning, I got from a Latin music forum a post quoting Scott Adams, and later on, from my pastor, the same quote… “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep”, then I had a conversation with my beloved about Maria Montessori, about mistakes. Error and trial; that’s the way we learn; a child is not seeking for mistakes, but part of the learning process it to miss the bulls eye and learn from it. That is where the “Guide” or teacher has to be observing the children, not to do what he has to do, but to letting the children have the good side of the mistake. It is very important that the teacher evaluates what kind of lesson the kid can do to allow the experience to be a learning one instead of a frustrating one. We as adults some times we miss the point, we want to play “safe”, making no mistakes, staying on our own security zone, or we go to the other extreme, really trying things with no guidance… On our adult life, the best guidance can come from one source: God. If you pray for wisdom, he’ll guide you to continue your learning process, and if you failed, may be it is because it’s part of your learning experience, So Get up and do it again!

What a loser!

2009-01-11T13:36:00.005-05:00

On 1984 I started working with a very successful man in Mexico. He was a very wealthy man and he was always easy, humble and a great friend. I asked him what he tough it was his key for success, and he answered me: “I’ll tell you on one sentence: I am a loser”… I got surprised with that answer, because to my eyes he looks like a successful man, then he told me… I cannot tell you how many times I failed on some project, or idea, or business, but I can tell you that just few of my projects succeeded, and that’s where I got my current assets. That answer really made an impact in my life and made me believe that I want to be that kind of loser. I believe life is not about success, is about being disciplined and persistent. That is what can lead you to a better stage on your existence. How many times have you failed on an attempt to reach your goals, your dreams?

Just a Stop...

2009-01-09T09:34:00.003-05:00

Difficulties are always challenging. On my quiet time I was praying for the health of people near to me. One of my sisters in law has been at hospital since the 27th of December due to a meningitis problem. Also one of my friends is at hospital with pneumonia; the stepmother of another friend is at the Intensive Care Unit, after a difficult surgery… I was praying for all of them, and others, and during my prayer I just remembered that this is not our final destination. This is just a sand grain on the eternity that God has for us. We are so attached to this life forgetting that this is just a stop on our way. All I can do is to pray and thank God for all I have now. That’s why we have to live our life full of giving. Giving our best today… because may be tomorrow we’ll continue our journey.

The meaning of frienship for me...

2009-01-08T14:16:00.004-05:00

Last night I was thinking about the true and real meaning of friendship. Being a friend is no just to know some one and hang out with him/her, but it is a good start. It is not just some one who listens to you; It is not just some one who laughs with you, cries with you, and encourage you when you are experiencing bad times… I believe that friendship it is the opposite… don’t think me wrong, but friendship it is not about my needs but his/her needs… Being a friend, it is about of care for him/her, it is some one to listen to, to laugh with him/her, to cry and encourage him/her on those moments when everybody else looks to be missing… and I believe that a good leader, is someone who knows how to be to be a good friend, because when you can care about of someone besides yourself, naturally you are going to be able to lead them with respect. What kind of friend do you think you are?

A little bit of history... Part 11

2009-01-05T00:19:00.001-05:00

Here is chapter 11 on my personal history. It has been a while since I completed chapter 10, so if you want to check previous chapters, click here

After I completed the fifth grade, on summer time, I went with mom to the Military Hospital, and it looks like she got something serious... for the first weeks she was every day getting treatment, she never told me what she got, and every session was about one and a half hour, so she also arranged for me to have an appointment with the dentist, and I believe I had a lot of cavities because I got the doctor working on my mouth for several weeks... I never got engaged with kids my age, but I always was able to talk with the adults, and being every day at that hospital area it was a great opportunity for me to talk with the doctor and nurses... after few days, I started helping the doctor putting the instrumental on the sterilizer, cleaning the floor and I also helped preparing the folder for the next appointments to the nurse... I loved to be there and I shared with the doctor my interest on Neurology, and she told me that some day I will apply for the Military Medical School... I discover on that time how great was to help others... I don't remember much of what I did while I was at home on that summer, but definitively I remember the hour and a half I had on the dentist station. After few weeks, my mother's appointments were twice a week, until summer ended.

Also that summer something interesting happened, My dad's car had some failures, so he took the car to the shop around the corner and while he was there, I asked if I can be some kind of help there, and the mechanic allowed me to start helping... so I started cleaning parts and the shop and slowly I start learning about car mechanics... Wow... I got my first job as a helper there. God gave me a great learning skills and I learned fast from the basics: tune up and breaks and that shop was a great school for me. Helping and working was fun for me.

When summed ended I got a new school "Lic. Eduardo Novoa Elementary School"... my fifth one... in that school I meet a very special woman, my beloved teacher Chela, the woman who viewed something different on me besides a trouble kid... she asked me what I liked to do, and I told her about my passion for singing and my guitar and how I learned to do choir on the previous school, I also shared how I really liked to have fun with cables and other electrical stuff. She challenged me: "Do you want to organize a chorus? All right, you can do it as well as you keep good behavior in the class room and you can bring your guitar to prepare a performance for the school". Those were like magic words for me, she believed on me, and gave me an opportunity. That made a huge difference in my life, I went to the classroom working hard, focus on the work, and because I always finished fast my assignments, I was able to plan the choir work, and during recess I started working with some other kids I invited to audition to participate on the Chorus... after few weeks of reahearse, we were able to sang two songs.. "Cantares"; It was a song from Antonio Machado's poetry with music by Joan Manuel Serrat and "Hymn to Joy" from Beethoven. It was the first time that my mother was called to the school to hear something different than listen a complain for my behavior... suddenly I was no more mr. ArTrouble De la Mora. Every time I got doubts or wanted some one to talk, I just jumped on my bike and visited my teacher’s house… (It was about 15 miles from my home)

I remember those days as busy days, on the morning, school, and after school, homework and going to the mechanical shop... studing, working, learning, singing, playing guitar and growing, but also I remember those days as some of my happiest days.

I don't remember how, but I learned also to do electrical stuff, wiring, connecting sound equipments and microphones. That skill was also helpful in the school, so I helped the principal to have all sound equipments working, so for the first time in five years I was able to enter the principal's office without shame...

Most of the people see the weakness, defects, mistakes and negative on others... but there is some special people who can see beyond that... My teacher Chela was one of those. She was my first real leadership encounter. Four previous teachers gave up on me, thanks to her, I completed my sixth grade and I got graduated from elementary with honors at a great party organized by the school. The best lesson she taught me was to believe always in me, also to believe in others, to believe that everything you learn you can share with others. We had just few performances, but the learning from that season, lasted all my life.

Now, the summer after that and middle school, but that is another chapter.

Fresh Baked Bread!

2009-01-04T11:34:00.006-05:00

Have you walked near to a panaderia (bakery) while they are sweltering bread? It smell so good that invites us to walk in and get some recently baked bread; Or have you been at a restaurant where they bake their own bread? The aroma is delicious, the texture and the flavor, incomparable and with that starter, melting some butter on the yet hot bread, will make a great food experience. Once the bread it is cold, it looses its aroma and some of its flavor and texture.

One of the reasons I love Flamingo Road Church is because its worship. What is this related with the bread? Because it is like a bakery on duty. This weekend we got a breathtaking worship concert… not once, but five times, and every time, it was like that fresh baked bread… At Flamingo Road Church the excellence level of the worship band it is amazing. Every detail, the lights, the sound, the arrangements, the chorus, the voices, the instruments… all together melted like the perfect recipe for bread… and its aroma was spread all over the congregation, making the spiritual experience, an awesome one!

2009 A year of opportunity

2009-01-03T16:34:00.004-05:00

This is me 10 years ago, and now… I was checking some of my old pictures; every one is a memory, a moment in my life... It is good to look to your past, and get some nice memories; it is also good to remember what helped you, on the past, as well as what refrained you from achieving some goal, to pursuit some dream, in one sentence… to reach your God’s potential... Why am I talking about this? Because I’m been thinking on the current situation, worldwide… and this is a challenging moment for everyone… you can see this as a problem, or you can see it as an opportunity. When everything is good, I can relax, I can be on my comfort zone, but when difficulties come, I prefer to stand and fight for my family, for my beliefs, seizing the opportunity that will come and getting ready for that moment… that’s why your past has a great value. It is called “Experience” so this is not a time to relax and enjoy our memories, it is time for action. Difficulties help us to hoist our creativity, so get ready for a great year! Happy New Year 2009.

Feliz Navidad para todos, Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T11:59:00.003-05:00

Traditionally we celebrate our Christmas on the 24th, we have dinner together with the family, we open the presents, and we rest on the 25th. This was a very different Christmas for me and my family. As part of Flamingo Road Church, we had 8 Services at Cooper City campus to share the joy of Christmas with about 20,000 people... and after the last service, we decided to do something different. We made about 30 bags with muffins and as family we went to different residential complex to visit the gards who had to work on christmas eve, and we deliver the bags to each gard... we got from an atonished gard with no expression to an crying gard on one... one small gift made the difference, not only to the gards, but also to my family, we had fun, and we had the great opportunity to deliver, more than a muffin, a little of joy and hope.

Social Networking, YoVille and Facebook.

2008-09-10T10:37:00.005-04:00

I'm being playing around with the Social Network Application YoVille at Facebook, and it is really interesting how one million plus people play this game. The game was recently buyed by Zinga Inc and every day there is more and more people who decided to interact only trough a computer. Games are only an example of the future of social interaction for our current and next generations. The question is: What is this related to me? Well, I decided to build inside YoVille, a church... The game is for people to buy stuff and decorate their houses, but will all the stuff they sale there people has been creative enough to do more than decoration, so using the same elements they build a different kind of rooms to chat with others, so I created a Multisite Campus... (With chairs and a large screen) to talk to the YoVillians about our Internet Campus (http://www.frclive.tv/) at Flamingo Road Church... I'm not sure how is going to end... but at least will be fun. I'll be sharing the key teaching points of our services there and I'll invite them to experience our Internet Campus, so I'll keep you posted on this little experiment :)

Groundswell

2008-09-01T22:26:00.002-04:00

Today I start reading a good Book: Groundswell, a book about winning in a world transformed by social technologies. A well explained web 2.0 that allow the reader to understand how to infiltrate onto the social networks on the Internet with the existing tools and the future of the marketing worldwide. At least, the two first chapters, are keeping me on the book... The authors are Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. My first question is: How do you write a book with the help of someone else? One of the principles at Flamingo Road Church is collaboration and is about being able to do, really do, team work. Pastor Troy Gramling is always challenging us to don't give up on the first idea we got, even when it sounds awesome or great... and in order to being able to write a "team" book you have to be open minded and able to discard some times what we thing is a great idea, seeking the next level.

Talking about Disaster...

2008-08-31T23:16:00.000-04:00

Today, my beloved dughter Tania asked me to take her to watch a Movie. I always enjoy watching a movie with my daugther, so I took Dora and the girls to see the requested movie. The title of the Movie, Disaster Movie... Here's what they got right: The name of the movie. Disaster, indeed. I don't remember seen a movie as bad as this one... What I learned from this experience is to read a little about the movie we are going to see... anyway I had the opportunity to have a good time with my daughters and my beloved one.

Something to Blog about...

2008-08-25T11:33:00.006-04:00

What do I have to do to reach my potential? Today, my pastor, Troy Gramling shared with us about four things we have to do to continue our potential journey:

First thing: Get ready

Joshua 1:1-2

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them

When opportunity arrives, is too late to be ready. The question is: Am I ready?

What we need to get ready? Fist of all, imagine the big picture, dream of it, because you will never go beyond your own dreams. Second, learn, read, discuss, ask... you have to walk out of your comfort zone. Start walking in the direction of your goals and get trained. Training requires always a continuous effort, persistence and discipline. If you are not ready, opportunity will pass far away from you, and may be you will never notice that.

Second thing: Be strong and courageous:

Joshua 1:6-9 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 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."

To do ministry is some times hard and discouraging. That’s why many people abandon ministry. You have to learn to be courageous to do what is right, no matter people who don’t understand what you are doing complains about.

Note: Courageous is not the absence of fear, it is moving in the presence of fear. Fear paralyzes us, so to be courageous is to continue moving beyond our fear.

Third thing: Sanctify yourself

Joshua 3:5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

I have to question myself: Am I blessable? Am I confessing to God my sins? How strong is my flesh? Do I fantasize about my own mistakes? Do I allow the seed of a wrong idea to grow in my mind?

Fourth thing: To See

Joshua 6:1-2
Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.

What do you see? Some times our pride blinds us and is not allowing us to see what is in front of us. Humbleness is a key factor to see the vision God has for our lives. Now, vision is what allows us to see beyond where we are standing. If we are not seeing the whole picture then the vision leaks.

We have to practice these four points for being able to reach our God’s potential.

Not from my perspective

2008-08-17T19:22:00.003-04:00

Today's society is getting us so focused on ourselves that we think most of the time about situations from only our own perspective. What if we could get some kind of glasses to see others perspective about life, or things they are experiencing? I got this video and I just want to share it with you... Enjoy!

A visit to the National Anthropological Museum, Mexico

2008-08-09T23:43:00.001-04:00

Part of my heritage is Mexican... the history of Mexico and it's culture is represented in the National Anthropological Museum in Chapultepec Park. On the last day visiting my family we decided to immerse ourselves in culture and knowledge, so we all I headed off to the museum.

We found great wonders there! An area of particular interest was the museum's "Theory Halls." There we found...THE Evolution Theory. Eager as we all were to learn all we could about this strange theory, we payed very close attention. We learned, that the scientists who support this theory FIRMLY believe that "they" are related to... drumroll please... the monkeys. These brilliant scientists believe deeply that they have much in common with monkeys and even share a similiar appearance. One has to wonder if these scientists have access to a special mirror which enables them to see something I simply do not. Because when I look in the mirror and see my reflection staring back... in no way do I see resemblance to a MONKEY! But they do... and so they continue to seek the "lost link".

They surmise this "lost link" is where evolution "skipped" a step between the big African apes and the first caveman. These intellectual minds believe that "Once upon a time, on a far remote day, a few million of years ago, there was a lonely carbon atom... This carbon atom must have been very smart because it just decided to change itself into a more complex form, creating complex DNA strings along the way. Finally a unicellular being was created. "Evolution" had begun, but guess what? That lonely, but very smart, unicellular being was bored, and started replicating itself so that it would have some one to play with, to have fun with and enjoy this newly evolved form of life it had created.

Those reproductions, by little "defects" created different creatures. Oh my! These creatures were not just unicellular, they partnered with other "copies" until more complex creatures were created in the oceans (fish). Then, wouldn't you know it? The fish got bored and began to search for adventure OUT of the sea. Those fish conquered the land! Of course to do this... they had to master the art of spontaneously growing feet AND lungs! Just like that, with their strength of will! Imagine that! Later, the ex-fishes, now reptiles, looked at the sky and thought... gee wouldn't it be great to fly? So once again, they "evolved," this time into birds, with feathers and their reptile hands turned into beautiful wings… the air was conquered! But some of those birds that weren't fond of flying in the great blue sky, remained in the trees and on the land.

They wanted something different… so they thought, why not develop a completely different kind of internal organ which would allow them to forgo the whole egg watching and hatching thing. They decided the females of the newly "evolved species would keep the new little creatures inside until they were ready to be born. Amazingly, some of those were born into this world as a kind of ape. As the ape species continued, they eventually grew tired of getting around on their hands and feet. So they decided to walk standing up and voila! Humans "evolved!" Makes complete sense, RIGHT?

The way I see it, this "theory" would be the comparable to tiny little peices of sand... all of the sudden... one day... deciding… all on their own.... to bind and stack themselves together... taller and taller until eventually they became...The Empire State Building! Come ON! SERIOUSLY?!? Why is it so hard for them to believe that there IS a superior mind capable of creating the PERFECT concept of life? It's all explained in the Bible.

I'm sure you can imagine... this lofty "theory of evolution" brought many questions to the minds of my little ones. I had a lot of fun answering them... with real knowledge. Then we headed off to see the other exhibits exploring the history of the prehispanic cultures that lived in Central and South America… we all had a great time and shared many laughs along the way!

A 22 years old Video :)

2008-08-06T22:32:00.000-04:00

A video recorded 22 years ago, my son was almost one year old...
Jose Alejandro, Agosto del 86 from Arturo De la Mora on Vimeo.

The Big Day!

2008-08-02T13:56:00.003-04:00

Last night was the BIG night, the culmination of several months of preparation, rehearsals, work, reviews and more… from the beginning to the end, the party with an 201 guests attendance was a complete success, my daughter was plenty of happiness… all night she smiled and enjoyed every single minute, from the waltz to the after party, the dinner, the amenity, the music, the lights, the band, the DJ… everything was “perfect”. She started dancing a traditional vienes walts “The Skaters” and after that a beautiful praise song “Thanks”. After that, I got the opportunity to gave a little speech about decision, based on the book of proverbs… I hope she will always think twice before to make a decision, a very special and emotive words from her family also were there… then after all the emotions and tears, the party continued with two contemporary dances, she performed a kind of “tango” (That’s how they called) and to finish her dance a Hip-Hop dance surrounded by her “Chambelanes”. After that a great dinner, I couldn’t resist the Microphone temptation and I sang a couple of songs... finally, the band performed music, fun and entertainment until 3:00 a.m. so we continued the party at Alex’s house until 7:00 a.m. time to sleep…. I really believe that the key for success in life, is to be a good manager; To manage your time as well as other’s time; to manage your emotions and your tongue, to manage your economy and to make a good planning as well as a good follow up of your plans… to be disciplined but more than anything, being always faithful in God!

A storm before the calm!

2008-08-02T05:48:00.002-04:00

Last night, just before the big party for my beloved Tania… I had a last minute running with the sound track for two of the songs, because the levels were distorted, I got a supposed professional company that was in charge of that, I gave them the first four tracks with the waltz, an intro, a praise song and a family waltz, and they were supposed to get the tracks for a couple of contemporary songs… Oh my gosh!, when I checked out the master it was so bad… thanks God, I got with me my Lap top and few blank CD’s and in a run I just got the tracks to be remixed equalized and burned out on a new master CD... Today it looks that is really complicated to get excellence from services providers. Some people don’t care about details… What makes the difference between ordinary and excellence? It is called “details”. I also believe of that difference is part of the “Fast food Live” that we are having… Some times we have to stop and rethink the way we are experiencing life, what are we doing with our relation with God, our relation with our family, how are we doing our work… are we seeking for details, or are we just doing an ordinary daily routine?

Today is the Big Day

2008-08-01T16:45:00.001-04:00

Everything is ready, in just a few hours we will have the big XV Anos Party… Hair dresser is working on Dora, Tania, Sol, Paulina and Sarai… How complicated is for woman to go to a party… they MUST have a new dress, a new hair style, a complete outfit, hours for make up, for hair, for dressing…. I just need to take a shower, a little styling gel, jump in to my old black suit, (It is fourteen years old and I steel fit in), polish my shoes and… Is show time folks!

No comments...

2008-07-31T13:44:00.000-04:00

All I can say today is…. Ouch… I will never eat Chicharron at the streets… no matter how tasty or great it looks…. Ooooouch…. Fever is gone…

Moctezuma’s Revenge

2008-07-30T21:42:00.002-04:00

During my visit to the Deer’s Park I ate a Delicious “Chicharron con Chile, Limon y Sal”, and after few hours I got a great discovery: My defenses against Mexican viruses are now weak… I start having a deep stomach pain, fever and other disgusting secondary effects, I called my Doctor and after I described the symptoms he just laugh and he told me that I just got the “Tourist Syndrome” also known as the Moctezuma’s Revenge… so he gave me the recommended medication mixed with a good dosage of laughs… Thanks to the Lord it did not happened to me on my Daughter’s party day, so I have a couple of days to recover… Oh my Gosh! I’m feel like crap… Finally after eight years of my departure from Mexico, my body is turning foreign!

A day at Deer’s Park

2008-07-30T13:39:00.001-04:00

During this trip to Mexico, I had the opportunity to visit my childhood park, called “El parque de los venados”. At this place, I expended many hours, from the age of 5 years old to 14. It was about one mile from my house. I took my little ones and shared with them few of the many histories I lived at that park. We went first to see the beautiful fountains, then we discover some painting attraction for kids and they also meet for a first time a mute woman, so I had the opportunity to share with them about the sign language, and why some people need that, also it was a great opportunity to give thanks to God for all the gifts that we have, the ability to talk, to listen, to see, to smell, to walk, gifts that we take for granted but for some people that is unreachable or just an impossible dream… after that we went to the play zone, they had tons of fun and then we went to some traditional attractions like the air rifles and the crystal balls contest... I love to have quality time with my family. The time you invest in your family today, will become a great asset for them in the future. What do you do to expend a nice family time?

Light's, Camera... and... Makeup!

2008-07-29T16:50:00.000-04:00

Today it was the make up and hair test for Tania… the day is coming really fast, so she was for hours deciding between some hair style and other… and when I mean hours I really mean it. From 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then a dress check to discover that the dress was “a little” long… so let’s go to find some one able to fix the dress, well, cheap, and fast… (I just remember my post about it), so we went to downtown to seek one…

Getting Ready

2008-07-28T16:05:00.002-04:00

Since Tania came to Mexico, she has been rehearsing for few dances… learning the routine… 5, 6, 7, 8… Step forward… Step back, turn, turn, step, step… and day by day she practice once, twice and many times more… following directions, submitting to the instructor and choreographer. For me it is a great learning for leadership is about practice. The growing is always a learning process and you have to practice once, twice and as many times as needed to continue the process of growing. If you believe you know everything, then you loose the learning and growing opportunity. A good leader has to be first a good follower.

Sarai's 7th Birthday celebration

2008-07-27T23:56:00.002-04:00

Well, finally Sarai got 7 years old last week, but because I was at Miami, we decided to celebrate on my arrival to Mexico, we just invite close relatives, Dora’s sisters and few friends… it was a lot of fun, a beautiful piñata a large selection of home made cazuelas with Chicharron, Tinga, Chicken, Beef, Beans, and fresh made tortillas… Diet? No way!!!!

The City of the Palaces

2008-07-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

I love to fly and to watch trough the window the landscape. When the plane made the approach to Mexico City, I took this picture. The visibility was so low, that it looked like London on a foggy day, but sadly it is just pollution, and it was a “clear” day. I was born in Mexico City, and I remember when I was a child, to watch the horizon and being able to see two beautiful volcanoes, the Popocatepetl and the Iztlazihuatl the called “Ciudad de los Palacios”, also Mexico City was named “The most transparent region”, but today you barely can see the far buildings… Mexico City is a 30,000,000 population city and it was funded on a valley surrounded by mountains, so the pollution remains floating on the air until some summer currents cleans the air from time to time. I love Mexico City, it is a place with an ancient history, tradition, but the most valuable asset is the people… I’m praying for have few Flamingo Road Church campuses here on Mexico city, to partner with Mexicans to reach their God’s potential.

Babies grow...

2008-07-25T14:29:00.002-04:00

The clock is always ticking and time goes by... some times looks like our life occurs in a blink, our kids grow, yesterday they were a little kids and then, suddenly they grow... In Mexico we have a tradition that is the "Quince años" celebration. It came from an old practice where the high society families organized a ball in order to introduce on society the girls. With that exposure, a good party and a little bit of good luck, the girls could be engaged and hopefully married. The marriage age was an average of 15-17 years old. With the passing of the years and social revolutions, lower classes took that celebration trying to reproduce the pomp of the high society, with expensive dresses, dancing a traditional waltz, and they included some contemporary dances. Now almost anyone remember the original purpose of that party, and is jus a fun celebration, the marriage age has been raised, and all that traditions keeps is the Waltz Dance, words of the parents, nice dresses, and a mixture of contemporary music. I’m sharing all of this, because the time for my daughter Tania to have a "Quince" party has arrived. I'm traveling to Mexico to share this moment with all the family. I was thinking about the way we can live. I can have a life that just goes on, or I can have an intentional life, doing all the things with a purpose, seeking the potential that I have on all my areas, fighting my dark zones and having a "no regret" life. What way of life would you choose to live? Also… Why do you do what you do? Because is it a tradition? Because you love it? Or Just for fun?

A colorful heritage...

2008-07-19T17:23:00.004-04:00

I was reading a post from Heater Palacios at LeadHership.net about some Jersey she was watching at Peru, and finally she got a Mexican one... this lead me to remember of some of my roots... Mexico is a country full of color, and part of that color comes from the artisan hands of people who have received that heritage from generation to generation. One of the most colorful Mexican crafts is THE JORONGO. The Jorongo is a very large, coat-like weaving with a single slit in it for the head. All artisans are proud of their own work and that is something to think about it. We have some times to look into our own traditions to seek our own values and our family values, no matter where we live or where we born we always have some strong roots to seek and leverage for our future generations....

Rusty but...

2008-07-18T18:06:00.004-04:00

I found this great photo and I was thinking about the things we experience in our lives, like our force, our strength, our abilities, and there is a stated on the Second Law of Thermodynamic that we are going from new to old, from shiny to rusty, from useful to obsolete and that is a law of the life... but there is also something about moving... seeking and reaching what God has for us. We cannot be laying in our glory, because we will stop our movement and become old, obsolete and rusty, so we have to keep moving and may be, just like this picture, seeking for what is next out of the wheel... with the end of movement of the gears, allowed some plants to grow and become alive... and THAT is not on the second or any law of thermodynamics... Keep on moving... and if you stop... look around to see what is growing aside yourself!!!

And they lived happily ever after...

2008-06-27T23:44:00.005-04:00

This is where most fairy tales end. The prince and princess marry and ride off into the sunset to begin their new life together as husband and wife, a life full of promise, romance, and above all, love. (Check out Shreck, Sleeping beauty, Snow White and others...) But no one has ever told us how this is supposed to happen, or why it succeeds if it does. How a marriage can be a fairy tale come true, and how to "happily ever after" happens? That is only the beginning...

Today, I went to the Pete and Julie's wedding... awesome... a dream come true... great service, great sermon by Pastor Garland, a lot of wishes, toasts, music, joy, party and fun... but... that is not and Happy Ending... is just a great beginning.

The Best Man said few words, but the most wise words he mentioned was... "I hope you keep Christ as the center of your marriage, if you do that, I'll warranty you a happily ever after life"
That's a true that we have to keep in mind not just at the beginning of our marriage, but also at any season.

What do you do to keep fresh your marriage? How do you keep Jesus as the center of it?

Womans traveling...

2008-06-24T20:01:00.002-04:00

I took my five beloved ones to the Airport today... Dora and the girls, tried to document nine bags... but... American Airlines has now a rule of 50 pounds maximum weight for each piece... and guess what, she had on average 68-70 pounds per luggage piece... so I got a plastic bag and we start pulling some unnecessary things out of the bags until they reached the right weight… when we finished to document the clerk suggested us to document… The plastic bag! So I went to the wrappers and they made a beautiful blue plastic bag (with handle included) for 9 bucks, we documented it and we finally got 10 documented pieces (I’m not doing any mention of the 2 on hand pieces they had) and everyone was happy.

On unexpected circumstances our temper raises very fast, but even with the hot blood flooding our veins is our decision to let our temper out or to have a deep breath, smile and keep on our goal.

I had maaaaany reasons to lost my temper today, but the choice I made help my family to get on the plane right on time and being able to start experiencing summer vacation time…

What would you do to avoid loosing your temper?

Many things to think

2008-06-21T23:05:00.002-04:00

I have so many things to think, that I cannot think one.... :)

Happy Father's day!

2008-06-15T18:28:00.006-04:00

My father's day started early on the morning with my little ones jumping on my bed, exited to give the gifts they selected for me on the father's day. The great part of it is all of my daughters made their own card. No purchased cards... all hand made and with a great content. They put a lot of time on it. Sol with Dora to get materials to build a special gift, and she did it. This is it...
Later, I had the opportunity to share Father's day with the Colson family at home. Dora prepared a great Ceviche, Tania made delicious cookies, Sarai and Sol helped Dora to cook... Pani was cleaning and we expend together a great day. . We finished at Muvico with Indiana Jones... the latest one... it was so interesting that my older daughters walked out to another auditorium to watch another movie. It was what we call in Mexico a good "Churro", with a Story developed (supossedly) at Peru, with a mixture between Mayan pyramids (Nothing related with the Incan Culture) and a floor with the Aztec Calendar, icons from Teotihuacan, Aliens, the Ark of the Covenant and so for... a nice shake of pre-Columbian architecture mixed with legend, and absurd situations... but what can you expect... just entertainment... Next time I'll go to see Kung Fu Panda... I know for sure, will be a more credible story!

Comfort Zone

2008-06-11T14:05:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I was able to experience the Flamingo Road Church Internet Campus with my sisters, my son and his mother.

Pastor Troy used an example of a half glass of water. Was it half empty or was it half full? How do we see it? How do I see it? Well, I just got into the conversation with my son about my trip on a car without air conditioned. To be at a car with air conditioned, is mandatory for a city like Merida… he asked me how I was able to support the high temperature without air… so I used some part of my pastor’s teaching to illustrate my decision to rent a car with no air. I made a decision: I decided to enjoy the experience. When I drove from Cancun to Merida I was able to perceive the forest aroma… and because had no radio, I was able also to experience a good thinking time. Troy mentioned that Joy, is a DECISION, my other choice was to complain about the heat… the lack of music, but my choice was to be positive, to have joy. We always have different opportunities to enjoy life or to complain about it, especially when you are out of your comfort zone. To be out of the things we are used to, bother us… and some times we need to be out of our comfort zone to:

1. To be grateful with God for the things we have
2. To have a better understanding to others who are on a different situation than us
3. To learn tolerance
4. To seek the nice side on every situation in life.

I decided to be a glass half full. What do you want to be?

One of my happiest days

2008-06-08T20:05:00.003-04:00

My son's Grad picture!

I present you to the Lic. Jose Alejandro de la Mora

Great party tonight!

2008-06-07T20:16:00.003-04:00

My son concluded his carreer and he is celebrating tonight... I'm so happy because of him. I travel to be at the Grad tonight and Yesterday we got a great talk about why is he doing things now... We had a really deep conversation about life, love, healt and other topics... On my last visit I shared with him the importance to have a healty life and I encouraged him to go to the Gym every day, and yesterday he told me that on the beggining he did it because I told him to do it... or to don't get me upset... now the history is different... he does it because he want to do it... from an inner motivation, he knows that excersice is good for him... now he is ready to launch in to the life adventure... with his own motivations, dreams and life... All I can said is... Thanks God!

On my way to Merida...

2008-06-05T21:43:00.002-04:00

I traveled today to Cancun; tomorrow I'll be driving to Merida, about 200 miles from Cancun to meet my son for his graduation. I like to be early at the airport because I don't like surprises... and guess what... I left my passport at home... so I had time to go back home and get it... when I got back to Ft. Lauderdale International Airport the airline was really packed... I just prayed to be on the plane... because I was, not late... but near to the flight closing time... There was people upset arguing and I start praying for them... I made some jokes, smiled... and as the bible said... the soft answer relax the anger... I don't know why, but one of the airline's employees asked me where I was traveling. I said Cancun, and she moved me to the front of the counter... and I checked in almost immediately... having enough time to go trough security (enhanced security level today) and to relax for almost 20 minutes at the gate... God... is great...

Become like little children...

2008-06-03T09:53:00.003-04:00

I recently got an email of a friend of mine who, on a very polite way corrected me some misspelling I had on my previous post from Holliwood to Hollywood... and that helped me. After editing the post, I was thinking… people is afraid to tell you when you are wrong… is afraid of… why? Because our pride… is hard to accept when we do something wrong further than that… it is even tough when some one else came to us and tell us we are off beam… often our first reaction is: Denial… I’m ok; you are wrong… and that is an internal fight with our pride until we recognize our mistake. Real friends tell you when you are wrong… because they care about you.

There is a text on the Bible that enlightens this topic… Matthew 18 1-4 (NVI) : “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

To be like a child, is to be humble, to be willing to learn, to expect something new… Little children learn from their own mistakes, “trial and error” the professionals said… until they grow… I want to reach my God’s potential, I want to learn something new every day, I want to have an open mind, just like a child.

At Holywood:

2008-06-01T23:08:00.005-04:00

Today we went to Hollywood beach to have an awesome sunday: To witness the public commitment of near of 300 people who take the step of being baptized... One sweet story, was a family who flew from Chicago, Ill to Florida, just to get baptized. They have been attending the Internet Campus at Flamingo Road Church... Here a couple of today's pictures:

One more flea to the dog!

2008-05-28T13:36:00.002-04:00

All right Blogville, today I started a whole new blog that will be all about to have a live streaming video/audio experience. What is technically required? How to set it up? and more interesting nerdy gears... I named it http://www.livegears.net/ and I'll be having fun posting on how to create a Live Campus on the Internet using the current technology available... I'll be sharing my goals and the opportunity behind every new challenge for the new projects I'm involved in. So, take a peek and if you are not a nerd, I'll do my best to help you to understand the geek issues related with the magic's behind the scenes!

Memorial Day at the beach!

2008-05-27T09:11:00.003-04:00

Memorial day was a perfect opportunity to have some family time at the Beach, so I planned a trip to the Cays, depart @ 6:00 a.m., drive, have fun, and so for... but... everyone wanted to sleep a little more... so my older princess were awake almost at noon... so instead of the Cays we went to Las Olas and anyway we had a great family time... a little time at the beach, a little time walking, a little time having fun a nice dinner, even our brand new dog Missy had fun with us…

Even we started the day late, we did not waste the morning. At this point, for them the Idea of a nice rest day is to wake up late and avoid any complex activity, but I believe we can change that. One of the values we live at Flamingo and we are learning as family is: Potential. Is this the best I can do? Going early to the Gym is one way to reach our physical potential, help us to create endorphins, to be on better shape and weight... so I Dora and I went to the YMCA to sign in as family and during Summer time going on the mornings as family, and after that, plan our day... We as parents have two choices: One, we can leave our girls to grow just like that... doing whatever they believe is best for them, or we can encourage and push them to reach their God's potential. The second choice implicates effort, commitment and money... but it will provide a better future to our Girls! What do you are willing to sacrifice to the future of people you love?

Signal Light

2008-05-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

Today I went to visit my insurance agent... look at the picture... no comments! LOL... :)

The I-Marriage... a small group about marriage!

2008-05-22T05:52:00.001-04:00

Last Night we had a small Group Meeting for Couples at my house. This is the third week on a row we are doing that. We meet and we are following a series called the I-Marriage, and on a very effective way is touching some fundamentals on marriage today. Based on Dreams, Ilusions and expectations, how it turns from a "And they lived happy for ever" in to a nightmare relation. We are broadcasting this meeting from our Internet Campus every wednesday at 8:00 p.m. eastern standard time.

Towed!

2008-05-21T13:17:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I went to Expolit, I paid at the parking lot, I parked on a regular spot, and walked in to the expo. By noon, when I was looking for my car, it was not there, and there was a lot of News Vans, with antennas and broadcasting equipement, so on the next few minutes, I learned that my car was towed. I called the towing company and they brought back my car for a modical fee of $ 101.00, and when I asked the driver why my car was towed, he explained me that McKain was there for a conference or some like that, so security had to remove cars in "logistical" positions... I paid and I went back to the complex to complain. I was upset, but on a calmed way I exposed my situation, and after a short discussion, they gave me a reimbursment for 200.00 and an apology... weird day. If you want to be heard, first you have to talk!

Look a like....

2008-05-18T12:47:00.006-04:00

Well... few weeks ago, the I-pastor Brian Vasil launched a campaing about different Heredes impersonations... until some one else find another "Look a Like"... Arnold found this picture, and I just put it together... so your votes... who looks like who? Here is some of the Graphic History

Fasten your Seat Belt! ... please????

2008-05-18T10:54:00.004-04:00

Today, while I was driving, I start listening to the anointing sound of beep... beep... beep... and the light on my car’s odometer blinking as a reminder to fasten my seat belt... so I completed the task and the sound stopped and the ligh was off, then I start thinking about my daughters, the two little ones, no questions, as soon as they are on their chairs, they pull the seat belt and some times they remind me or their mom about the belt. The two teens, I have to remind them, they complain, but they finally attach the seat belt. Me, some times I forgot, and the sound and light remind me to put it on… and that’s the way we act in front of God instructions for life… What is the purpose of a seat belt? Is also called safety belt and is designed to secure the occupant of the car against a harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop. The question is: Why do I have to wear it all the time? Because an accident is something unexpected, and no one knows when is going to happen to you.

God gave us a full set of rules to protect us against sudden situations in our life, and when we wear it, we are more protected… it does not mean that we are not going to have any situation, but when it arrives, we’ll be more protected…

On the other side, is about your own motivation. Why do you wear a seat belt? You have to because it is on the Law? May be you have to, because some one else told you to do it? Or you are convinced that it will protect you? Which other areas in your life you are doing with the same kind of motivation?
The answer is yours…

Drive Thru express Car Wash

2008-05-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

Today I had the funniest car wash I ever had. The church youth ministry organized a drive thru car wash for only 5 buck. As soon as you drove in, a complete army of happy kids having fun, start rinsing, soaking and cleaning your car… faster than any other drive thru and with a great enthusiasm… just check the picture! If you missed it… you missed it

A new family member...

2008-05-14T22:38:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been a long time since my last post, but here I am updating my blog... there have been a lot of things happening... Meetings, projects, friends leaving... so... I have many things to write about... but something that really is moving my world around is... a new family member... Let me introduce you to Missy... a Siberian Husky bissextile dog... yes... believe it or not, Missy was born on 2-29-08, that means her next birthday will be... in 2-29-12! That's odd... so next year we will have to discuss when to celebrate it... if on the 28th of February or the 1st of March... anyway will be a great celebration... with confetti, balloons and treats included! Well, long story short… My daughters were asking for a dog for almost three years, since we had Bruno, (A noble Boxer Dog) that we had to gave when we moved to our current apartment… finally, after several discussions about it, commitments and resources, we went to a Pet store to search for it… Tania made about a thousand visits to the store, but since she saw her, she knew what dog she wanted… then, talk to the landlord, check prices, accessories, and so for.. Finally, Missy arrived home on the 11th of May, since then, every one is loving and taking care of her, and… you know what? Every one at home is happier, even me… a dog is a great way to teach our kids to think of some one else (especially if they are teenagers) instead of just “I”.

High-End technology

2008-04-30T06:59:00.002-04:00

Last night, Troy Gramling, my pastor launched the first on line staff meeting. Here on campus there were only few volunteers helping with cameras, the tech team and the Internet Campus team. Everyone else was at home, or Starbucks or anywhere else watching on their computers. Troy is sharing the vision of being able to do ministry without boundaries, and using technology. There was an attendance of 237 staff people who watched or at least listened the meeting. One of the last minute challenges was to have those with no computer, or computer problems connected, so we decided to use a conference system where people was able to dial a number and merge into the meeting. We got the service, but we needed what is called a “Phone Patch” to connect the audio to the phone line, and it was too late to order one of those pieces, so I made a “Tape-Phone Patch” and it worked fine, as you can see on the picture. Creativity is triggered by need, don’t you think so? Have you ever solved anything complex on a funny way?:)

Getting smiles!

2008-04-29T09:22:00.004-04:00

Last Sunday, before we get back from Orlando, we went to the City Walk at Universal to have lunch and we took the boat ride to the Hard Rock Hotel. The hotel is beautiful and you can feel a good leadership managing the hotel, since you arrive. Smiling faces welcoming you, consistently all over the place, but what was greater we found a little Ice Cream store and I took all of my girls to get a sweet dessert. You know how difficult is to have six woman making choices about what they want… but the associates working there where patient enough to handle the classic “mmm… no… better this… oh, no instead of that…” several times. Long story short, the service was awesome, even when we finished and the little one asked for water, they brought us water for every one… they treated us just like if we were the owners of the place… for a big check of $16.05 (Tax included’) from 7 people. Sure, my daughters and my beloved one walked out with great smiles and great satisfaction… customer service always makes the difference! For sure on our next Orlando trip, we want to stop there! :)

Are you ill? get some remedies...

2008-04-28T08:07:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I went with the family to Orlando, to support Paulina, my oldest daughter and during the travel I had some time to get some insights while I was driving, and I remembered when my Grandma Martha told a history of a woman that when she was sick, she walked in front of the mirror and she said to herself: "I'm ok, I’m not sick, I'm well" and repeated for several times until she felt better...

Research shows that most of the current illness are caused or triggered by different states of mind... and they call those "Psychosomatic" and that’s true. One of the articles I found on the Internet mentioned some preventive rules to prevent illness:

Don’t live life sad
Trust
Accept
Don’t live by appearances
Find Solutions
Make Decisions
Share your feelings

Easy, don’t you think so? Emotions and feeling that are hidden, repressed en in Gastritis, ulcer, lumbar pain and more… some experts even said that repression of feeling degenerates to the cancer…

When you don’t make decisions you remain in doubt, in anxiety, in anguish. Also accumulates problems, worries and aggressions. An undecided person is victim of gastric ailments, nervous pains and skin problems.

Criticism is only a way to hide our incapability to find solutions and as a result it produces lamentation, gossip, pessimism that finally will enlarge problems. We are what we think, what we declare with our mouths and what is in our minds. Negative thoughts will end in negative energy that is finally transformed into illness.

Hiding reality? People who is pretending, poses and always wants to give the impression of being well. They want to be seen as perfect, easy-going, etc. but this is just accumulating tons of weight. Is like a bronze statue with feet of clay. There is nothing worse for the health than to live on appearances and facades. These are people with a lot of varnish and little root. Their destiny is the pharmacy, the hospital and pain.

Hard to do it, but required… Accept. The refusal of acceptance and the absence of self-esteem, make us alienate ourselves. Being at one with ourselves is the core of a healthy life. They who do not accept this, become envious, jealous, imitators, ultra-competitive, destructive. Be accepted, accept that you are accepted, and accept the criticisms. It is wisdom, good sense and therapy.

We all are hurt at some point in our life, and it removes on of our valuable assets: Trust… Who does not trust, does not communicate, is not opened, is not related, does not create deep and stable relations, and does not know to do true friendships. Without confidence, there is not relationship. Distrust is a lack of faith in you and in faith itself.

And last but not finally… Do not live your life with sadness. Have good humor, laugh, and rest, seek your happiness. These replenish health and bring long life. The happy person has the gift to improve the environment wherever they live. “Good humor saves us from the hands of the doctor". Happiness is health and therapy.

I made a test on my Blog... LOL

2008-04-22T12:42:00.004-04:00

My blog is worth $9,032.64.
How much is your blog worth?

Oh Dam!

2008-04-20T15:41:00.008-04:00

In our travel to Vegas with the FRC Video-Production-Tech team on our last day we had few free hours that we expended wisely, we visited the Hoover Dam, which is one of the greatest human made structures made between 1931 and 1935 and it is capable to generate more than two thousand megawatts that are utilized in part by California, Arizona and Nevada (That's a lot of electricity).

Also we were able to run a successful live test from the dam with Brian Vasil, but the interesting thing about this, was… at some point I said something like “the Dam Hoover” and everyone start laughing about it… and I recall that the “dam” word is used also as an expression, so I was not so sure on the real meaning of the “dam” term and it became a fun words game between the group.

Because I’m trying to improve my English I start investigating about “Dam” significances and according to the Wikipedia, A dam is a barrier that divides waters. On writing there is a little difference between a barrier and a profane word, and that’s an extra “n”… so Dam is a barrier and damn is a profanity… the definition for “damn” is: a condemnation, usually by God or by a god, and a frequent profane word that came from Latin “Damna, Damnare” that means condemnation...

I was thinking how powerful can a word be… that’s why is wiser to hear, think and if it will be useful, to talk… like my father always said… connect your brain before you talk! A good reason for God to give us two ears and only one mouth. I'll said it once... be wise, think twice! :)

Look at the pictures of the Dam!

Control Freak...

2008-04-18T01:58:00.004-04:00

One of the weakness of myself is that I'm a control freak, I want to know everything, I want to understand all, to know where are we going, to be the driver on a car, and so on and on... since I discovered that weakness I try to allow others to take control... well, this time my Vegas trip, was awesome... I did not know what was even my flight number, neither the hotel... some one else was driving, and I was able to focus on the true purpose of my trip... wow... I can tell you, this was amazing not being in control of... NOTHING!!!!.... God allow us to grow when we work out our weak areas... I'm not there yet!

What happens in Vegas...

2008-04-17T00:15:00.003-04:00

There is a popular phrase that said "What happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas" and for the last few day I'm been walking like crazy visiting the NAB show (A convention for Broadcasters and all Media related services) and I'm one more of the 150,000 visitors looking for innovative technology. The changes experienced by technolgy on the last few years is amazing, particularly now, that most of video related is moving to High Definition and if we dont want to be left behind we have to research and investigate all the different options available, so from my church, a team of 9 came to Vegas and it was a lot of fun being able to combine talents and points of view that enrich the learning process, I think of this time, what happens in Vegas, came back to Florida with us!

2008 Princess...

2008-04-06T21:32:00.002-04:00

In 2008 my modern princess has a different outfit than the traditional princess, don't you think so?

The inner child

2008-04-06T21:20:00.002-04:00

Walt Disney created many famous characters and for several generations, the Mouse and his gang have been entertaining people all over the world. Today I went with my beloved to see Disney on Ice, with my little ones and guess what... with my teen agers too! The whole family :) We laugh and enjoy two hours of fun, ice skating, music, special effects, even fire over the ice... The wow factor was there. I believe that every one of us have a inner child who likes cartoons, tales, histories, to play and enjoy the life... in fact I believe that the difference between Kids and Adults is.... the price of Toys :)

A you-cannot-miss teaching...

2008-03-30T18:07:00.002-04:00

Watch this Video of Heather Palacios teaching about Today!

At least...

2008-03-29T20:37:00.008-04:00

One of my Birthday gift was two Red Lobster cards and I was waiting for the right moment to enjoy my number one favorite food... Maine lobster. So, today after a wedding I was driving back home with my beloved and she told me.. "I'm hungry" and I remember I got the two cards with me... and I ask her, "Do you want Lobster?" and she told me... hey... there is a Red Lobster... Ok... there was the time, the place... so I drove in and we had the opportunity to enjoy a late-birthday-gift. The moment was perfect, the companion great and the food... incredible delicious... Later on today, we attended as a couple to our church service with the message “There’s Always Tomorrow” with Heather Palacios, talking about procrastination and how important it to remember how much today matters. I cried while I listen Heather's testimony and how one decision changed her life forever. I believe that many times I think right but I don't act immediately... The lunch with my beloved was incredible, because we don't waited... A Mexican popular phrase said "No dejes para mañana, lo que puedas hacer hoy" -Don't wait until tomorrow, to do what you can do today-

Daddy... I want one...

2008-03-25T23:30:00.003-04:00

These last few days, I had the opportunity to share time with my two little ones, so they are going with me wherever I go, to the office, or any other place I have to. Today I visited another church office and they had some kind of aquarium but instead of fishes, they had Snakes... so my little angels told me... "Hey dad... there is no fishes" and the owner of that office said, no, there are no fishes, but I have some snakes instead..." Can I see one, Can I see one? Sol said... and Sarai seconded the motion... So, he explained to me that the snakes were safe for kids, (He is a school principal) so after the explanation, he patiently show my little girls the snakes he has... and guess what... instead of being afraid they wanted to touch it, observe it and finally they asked me... Can I have one? Pleeeeease? I just laugh out loud, and I believe I was more nervous with the snakes than my little ones... I'm thinking what kind of pet they can have (Beside the popular webkins)... Well that will be some other post...

Personal Effectiveness

2008-03-25T08:04:00.002-04:00

Today, Pastor Raul Palacios was leading a Book Study that is being broadcasted every tuesday at 7 a.m. on the Internet based on the book "Launching a Leadership Revolution". I really believe this is one of the best books I ever read about leadership. It combines text from many leadership authors. The authors, Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward created a great meltdown that allow you to understand on an easy readible book how to develop the leader in you. Raul made a great job sharing today chapters four and five, and we got great audience in room and on the internet. The study is being transmitted trough our Internet Campus as well as at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/flamingo-road-church-live/ . If you haven't read this book I recommend it, it is a you-cannot-miss book!

Here is a quote from the chapter: “Before you try to fix the world, clean up your own bedroom.” Rich DeVos

There is three areas you have to focus in to grow:

Character, Task and Relationships

If you lack of character, you will not succeed in a meaningfull way. If you cannot get the things done, you'll miss several opporunities. If you don't know how to create relationships you cannot experience success

So... want to read more? GET THE BOOK!!!! :)

A Little bit of History... part X

2008-03-23T22:59:00.002-04:00

This was a very difficult time for me. I started my fifth grade at Fundación Mier y Pesado, a Catholic School, that you needed to have high recommendations or contacts to be there... well, my mom, always fought at schools for us, and there was never a closed door for her. She was so persistent...

some times I question myself why am I so stubborn... so obstinate... from both sides... mom and dad.

Well, the fact is that my first day at school was awesome... I discover they had a chorus, and I always wanted to sing... and better than that... the teacher asked if some one played any instrument will be immediately accepted on chorus... and I had My beloved guitar! Also they had FREE breakfast for all the kids, Band, Sports... a whole new world was opening in front of me, so when I got back home I explained my mom about the guitar, chorus and everything, and she supported me and encouraged me so strong that I felt confident to participate. Next day I was at the bus stop with my guitar... and when I step up on to be bus, the Driver told me "Step up and sing on the back, please don't obstruct the exit door" AND HE DON'T ASKED ME TO PAY!!! so I started singing few popular songs and the journey to the school was just pure fun... When I stepped down from the bus, I was wondering if it was a possibility to save also the ticket back... wow! a new way to have some extra money... 50 cents a day saving!... So from that day I started singing on the public buses, saving some money, and even some times some one gave me a 20 cents coin or a five cents coin... I was ashame to ask for money, besides I enjoy and had fun while I sang.

That was the auditions day and when it was my turn, I just sang so confident that they approved me to be one of the first voices... I had a wide and high range... and I was not so good with the guitar, but I was able to perform harmonics chords, even when I didn't knew the notes, when I listen to some chord, I was able to reproduce it and memorize it... so they showed me the script and I pretended I read, but I was always listening to others to be able to play... My life at school was great, I got recognition and respect, I liked to read and to study so my grades were excellent, at least the first few months... not a shadow of "Arturo el Terrible" (Like Dennis the menace) My favorite class after chorus, was Science, discovering the functions of the human body, specially the Nervous System... I was so passionate about that matter, that I started searching for Neurology Books at the Library, and I decided I wanted to be a Neurologist to do some research on that area... Can you imagine? A Singer-Neurologist? I also enjoyed when we sang at church, every first Friday, we went to Coyoacan historical Church and we sang... beautiful worship songs, that was my best time on that season.

My older sisters were at middle school, and on that year something strange happened my dad took us one day to the Hospital with my mom, and leaved us at the car for several hours... and when he came back he told us... "you have a baby sister"... then he found that while he was away we were playing in the car and I broke a seal of the Cab meter... he was so upset that he hit me several times... Now I understand he was tense with my new sister and several complications that happened at the hospital on that day. Years later when my mom shared me what happened I understood, but not that day... I was so sad and depressed after that I was wondering why I was having a life... I wanted to be dead...

After that episode, when my mother came back from hospital situations at home where more violent that usual... It looks like my mother stopped to accept my father's bad mood, and that increased the fights... It looks like my new born sister was a new force for my mother to defeat dad...

Then like a new reaction, I started to be distracted at school, and Mr Trouble was slowly coming back to school... I also discovered that the Catholic discipline it was stronger that the public schools discipline...

One day my father brought a pantograph and instructed me on how to use it, and asked me to do a poster on the Digestive System and he leave to work. When he came back he asked me for the draw and he was really upset because I didn't finished, then a fight started between he and mom, and at that time, my older brother jump in to the discussion... I don't remember what they said, but my father walked to his room and my mom asked my brother to leave immediately. He ran out of the house, then my dad came back from his room with the gun on one hand... and he pointed to my mother... I was so scared that all my fear was turned into fury and I walked out from below the table (I was hidden with my sisters) and I step on the middle between the gun and my mom... and I said "Before you kill her you have to shoot me first"... He reacted surprised and lifted up the gun. After that, he hit me on the face with the gun. He reacted and walked to his room and I walked out of the house. I didn't notice I was bleeding, I walked several blocks thinking and thinking how to end with that situation... I was sad, upset, disappointed and hurt. Suddenly he appeared with the car and he jumped out the car and held me from one arm... he was pale... nervous... pushed me onto the car... he looked me and all he was able to said it was... "You are going to soil the car with your blod" Oh my God... he was concern about the car, not about me... He was so nervous and he didn't said any other word...

After that, things changed radically at home. There was like a strange peace at home like never was on the previous years... my older brother moved out to live with my Grandma Mary, he was studying to be an accountant... and I fall on a deep depressive state. I was watching TV and on a movie, the star wanted to commit suicide and went to the restroom, got a bunch of pills and ate it all... That was a great Idea for me... That was my solution... with no doubt I ran in to our restroom and seek for all the possible pills that were there... and I ate it all, just as I watched on the TV... Few minutes later I start feeling a deep pain on the stomach... nobody mentioned pain on the movie... I remember my mother running with me to the clinic asking me if I ate something, or what happened... I denied all. On the clinic they treated me and after few hours I was out again... After that first trial I tried twice more on the next few weeks, with the same result... I was decided to leave... but I was unable to take the pain and the visits to the clinic... So I started thinking something new, may be jumping from the roof... so one day I was on top of the roof thinking how to jump, when a neighbor (Today I know God send her to scream to me) screamed me "Arturo, I will tell your dad that you are playing on the roof"... And I reacted... I wanted to leave the house.

The school was planning a field trip to the mountains, so I decided to be prepared to live on the mountains by myself... (lol) So I collected all the things I thought I will require on my new life... I putted all on my back pack and when the field trip came, I ran in the woods... after the first few hours I noticed that something was missing from my "perfect" plan... No food... What a fool... I had knife, clothes, lantern, books, toilet paper, pencil, notepad and my guitar... but no food... and at this point, I was lost... in the woods... now I laugh out loud... but I will always remember that day. The mountain police found me and I remember the upset face of the School director waiting for me... all he told me was: "You are expelled, no more Mr. De la Mora, No more."

Thanks to my good grades, my mother was able to put me back in to a public school where I finished the last two months of my fifth grade... My little sister was growing, my older sisters where having a separated life at their middle school and my older brother came time to time to visit my mom...

On those later months my mother's health was bad, and she had to go often to the hospital... when I finished fifth grade I was going with her almost every day to the hospital... but that... is another chapter... This will continue!

If you want to check the previous chapters, click here

What a better day to get baptized than Easter?

2008-03-23T15:15:00.003-04:00

Do you think there is a better day than Easter to get Baptized? well, that's what almost 500 people did this morning at Dania Beach, FL. There are a couple of videos :)

He lives!

2008-03-23T10:14:00.005-04:00

Today we celebrated Easter, in remembrance of Jesus death and resurrection, after the third day he conquered the grave and because of the Love of God for all of us, he gave us eternal life. We celebrated since early on the morning at Dania Beach baptizing at 7:00 a.m... many peoples lives were changed. I don't know how many, but I know more than 500 signed up... we broadcasted live from the beach and by 8:00 a.m. we were transmitting our first Sunday live service from Cooper City with our Pastor Troy Gramling sharing a great message about Miracles on the series "RationaLies". We got a great crow at that early service time... We also got a great feature song on the services with a great chorus and I was able to participate there also... what a great way to expend a Sunday Easter... He lives!

We will have 6 more services live today... so don't miss this opportunity to experience a great Easter Sunday no matter where in the world you are!.

Few things you cannot undo...

2008-03-22T05:59:00.003-04:00

I'm been editing several graphics for a website, some times I made a mistake and I use the key sequence -Control 'Z'- it is a short cut for UNDO, and allow you to go back in the time and repair a mistake, or to redo something you don't liked... it is amazing and allow your creativity to flow free... but I had a problem with my computer and I was working for hours and Photoshop was frozen... I was unable to UNDO, even to save my work... I had to start again and I was unable to recreate exactly what I had, but i finished the work... This morning I was thinking on what can you undo in life and what you cannot...

You will never recover...

One stone you trowed away
One word after you said it
One opportunity after you missed it
The time, after it passed

That's why you must think twice before...

You trow a stone on some one else
You said the wrong word to some one you love
You prioritize your work over an important moment in your life
You lost the time doing the wrong...

Be wise... think twice...

8 years ago...

2008-03-21T15:07:00.003-04:00

Eight years ago, I arrived to my friends Alberto's house with my one day old new born Sol not knowing what the next day would have for me and my family... few days before we made a decision: To walk by faith and to follow God's call in our lives. On march 11, 2008 we packed our clothes, and we started driving north, knowing that God will do something our lives. Dora was entering on her eight month of pregnancy and I had an invitation to work on Nayarit State but I wasn't sure that was our destiny. On our way I received a call from a Friend inviting us to El Paso, Tx to fix some equipment and we were driving north, so . Once we were there, this friend invited us to go to Florida, and he suggested that will be a great place for my future baby to be born, so we started a new journey to Florida, the baby was supposed to be born around the 28th, and we traveled with confidence, enjoying the journey and stopping by at any interesting place. We wanted to go to a Park in Orlando, so we decided to expend the night there, go to a park and then continue to Fort Lauderdale... but God had different plans... on that Night, Dora started feeling the delivery pain and I called 911, they took her to a great hospital and few hours later, Sol was born. Just like that... and few more hours later we were on the car, with a new passenger. When we arrived to Alberto's house, he was expecting us and took us to a nice house were he prepared for us everything, even a crib for Sol... God uses people to extend his blessings to us. Thanks God!

What is the purpose of being different?

2008-03-20T05:20:00.001-04:00

To compliment each other. In general, the weakness of one is the strength of the other and vice versa. By this means, “mother nature” unites us through a natural attraction of complimenting each other’s lives. Some couples do not make good use of the benefit of being different. I'm not referring to being the adversary of the spouse, but more like being a compliment, to balance the focus and the vision of life and to better enjoy it.

Just to mention some of the emotional differences:

The woman is… More intuitive. She has a spiritual radar to decipher things. When a problem is about to arise she has the capacity of detecting the problem and anticipating it.
More sensitive to the problems and necessities of others.
Enjoys sexuality in a different way; it is through an internal necessity that is stimulated by romanticism, intimacy, delicacy, tenderness and listening to beautiful words. She is more communicative. According to studies, an average woman speaks 25,000 words per day.

Now... The man is: More logical and analytical in making decisions; because he takes into account reasoning and logic. Less sensitive, which allows him to balance more objectively situations.
Enjoys sexuality differently, by an external act or an external necessity. He is captivated mostly through his sense of sight. Is less communicative. According to some studies... man some times... talk!

What a Woman would like from man...

2008-03-19T16:13:00.002-04:00

To be more communicative (Talk More)
To be willing to help more
To be more emotional and less logical
To be more romantic, less sexy
To be more patient
To be more focused on details

A Man would like woman that can...

2008-03-19T15:54:00.001-04:00

Talk less
Request less help
Be more Logical
Be less emotional
Would be able to enjoy watching Sports
Took less time to dress up, make up and give up.
Be less concerned for external appeal.

Regrets

2008-03-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

One day you open your eyes and notice that you missed one mark or may be many marks. You missed the bull eye and you lived for years without conscience until that day… You wish were possible to change your actions on the past, but there is nothing you can do about it. The time is hard and once a second has been expended, there is no way to go back and bring it back. That is called regret. You regret you didn’t listen to some one who warned you, you regret you did something or you didn’t… and as good friend of mine once told me about life… “Life is like your checking account; the past is like the money you already expended… it is gone, is no longer on your account. Tomorrow is like the money you have not earned, is not there yet, and today is your current balance, you cannot live life regretting the past or living on the future. Today it is what it is” The explanation was good… but then… How to deal with regret? Regret is like to deal with thirst it will lead you to death if you don’t satisfy it. Jesus said on John 4:14 ”but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." If you are living in regret, get back to Jesus and he will bring peace to your regret…

I've screwed up...

2008-03-14T23:59:00.002-04:00

About a year ago or little more, my pastor Troy Gramling launched a series called Ivescrewedup.com about how often we made mistakes and how to deal with it. The series was accompanied by a website with the same name: http://www.ivescrewedup.com/ with the sole purpose to allow people to write and confess anonymously any mistake made on the past. The series was a great teaching series, but the website, over passed all expectative, and attracted controversy about if is a valid resource to confess to a computer instead of confessing to a priest in order to receive forgiveness and absolution to the sins. Media wrote several articles some in favor, some against and some neutral about the website… Yesterday, the website was once more time on the news at CNN and again attracted thousands of viewers as well as hundreds of new confessions and also hundreds of jokers and critics who were fascinated by the thousands of confessions. Ivescrewedup.com has been on the air since last year and often are people posting different kind of confessions. God looks to sincere hearts, and forgiveness came from heaven, not because we are good or we deserve it, but because the great and magnificent Grace of God.

No post? No problem...

2008-03-13T20:40:00.002-04:00

I tried to log onto Blogger and I got a "Unavailable" message... Oh my God!... Is this the end of Blogger? Have they been hacked? Is the I.T. director quitted? Are they having a virus? Have they backed up all the posts and data?

Those are some of the questions I quickly make to myself but... don't panic... After a couple of minutes Blogger was back to the normal state... (Obviously you are reading this 'after-crisis-post') And then I though about how ease we fall onto pessimism. When something alters our common routine we immediately start thinking the worst case scenario. The question is: What do you do when you experience the negative thoughts on your mind? Do you allow them to remain on your mind or do you replace it for a positive thinking?

I believe fear is a natural feeling, but to develop your potential you have to learn how to deal with you fears and get something positive from them for your own good!

A Birthday to remember!

2008-03-10T23:28:00.002-04:00

This birthday is a great day to remember, first of all, God reminded me how much he loves me... then my beloved, my son, my daughters, my sisters, my family and friends also shared with me cards, gifts, e-mails and the most important thing... good wishes and encouraging words. At church after a magnificent weekend teaching we celebrated 524 lives transformed for eternity, 12 countries watching live services, and the continuous opportunity to serve others... Thanks God for all the blessings that we get every day! Thanks God for this first 47 existence years, thanks to my Beloved one for being supportive, loving and caring, thanks son for being a great son, thanks to my daughters for all the love they share with me, thanks to all my family for the good wishes and for being there, thanks to all my friends for allow me the privilege to be part of their lives... thanks to every one... thanks :)