Have you reached your Potential?

My visit to Busch Gardens was surprising, they had several shows related to Christmas, well, that shouldn't’t be surprising, you can think, is the season… Yes, is the season, what was different was, that I have been at several places promoting Christmas, Santa, The elves, the deer’s and even Frosty, but when we speak about the reason for the season, about Jesus, most of the stores or business places are shy to express something that can offend people who don’t believe of Jesus. Well, my surprise about Busch Gardens it was that they included praise and worship songs on the shows, exalting Jesus as Lord. On one of the shows I observe a couple that stand and walked out the theater mumbling something… the rest of the people stayed there. I learn a valuable lesson about conviction, to share what you believe with out shame. May be some one can learn from your strong belief and because of that, you could make an eternal difference on some one’s life.

While I was at home, I was peaceful, quiet, obedient; a perfect angel. But as soon as I walked out home, I turned in to a menace, that caused my mom to have to visit the school more than often, and by the middle of my 4th grade I got expelled from school again. My mother found another school for me, and I was able to finish the 4th grade on that school. One of my mother’s friends recommended her to search professional help, so my mother consulted the priest at our church, and he recommended a religious school, so she applied for a scholarship for me and she got it, because I had a great academic score. The fights at home, were increased and even when my mother hided my behavior to dad, he always found, something, and that increased the fights and the hitting. I was always sad and afraid to be hit so, when dad came to the house I always used a book on my back under my pants to soften the impact and… It worked (Except when he hit me on the upper back). The discussions were always about m...

When you see a picture like this, how can you said if it is a sunrise or a sunset? Tell me what you think is it. What is true is that only the one who was there knows what it were. Well, it looks like is vacation time. I'm taking few days with my family at Tampa, to visit Busch Gardens on the busiest weekend of the year. 2007 is almost done, and we have to be prepared for 2008. Today future looks blurry, just like the trip we are taking, but I trust God will have some surprises for us at 2008 and later.

On our way to Tampa we found a place called Gatorama and we decided to stop and to take a look inside. It was fun and a great experience, particularly my beloved one’s face while she was feeling a little gator in her hands… also I found that I started a great fashion with my antenna hat, now even alligators on the everglades are wearing one… Enjoy the pictures…

Since the beginning I planned this vacation trip to Tampa on a different way. We commonly jump in to the car and I start driving like on pursuit of a prize or something like that, arrive at our destination as soon as possible and that’s it… this time, I started driving slower than usual (even below speed limit), stopping at several places. I also found that is good to have a Tripod with you while you travel, that can allow you to be included on the picture, because on most of the trips I made, I’m never on the pictures. So after the Evangelistic Experience with Paulina Driving, We made a little stop at Okeechobee Lake and took some pictures. Then I drove few more miles north, when I saw a truck full of watermelons, and I noticed a watermelon field on my right, and I stop to explain to my daughter Sol about her favorite fruit process, then Dora told me… look there, some one throw away a lot of watermelons… (She is a Montessori School Teacher) I though she was joking but she looked so s...

What are the experiences you’ll always remember? Those you experience the first time. I planned our trip to Tampa driving the I-27 to allow my daughter Paulina to experience real driving. What was interesting it was that Dora and my other daughters started praying… from the bottom of their heart, it was also a pray full experience. So I putted her on the wheel. On the beginning she didn’t want to try, so I encourage her and explained that I will be also handling the steering wheel and she accepted. A little nervous on the beginning but after few miles she was feeling confident, experiencing how to be on the Speed Limit, the wind effect of heavy vehicles passing on us, also she was required to pass on a slower vehicle. She drove almost a half hour and she was tired. But after a few, she was ready for few extra miles, this time more confident and exited about it. I’m sure she will always remember this day. I have to confess I was also praying and a little nervous too, but when you lead ...

Finally I started my family vacation, and to initiate my journey I got the Idea to get some waffles, orange juice, and some bread before a long day journey, so, if you are looking for a waffle breakfast, you go to Waffle House; Right? Wrong answer… we went to one of my family favorites places to have a nice breakfast, we got a really friendly waitress, some orange juice, and… then the waitress informed us that we could order anything from the menu, except for waffles. The Waffle machine was broken. We already were seated and with some juice in our hands, and suddenly we had to change our way of thinking. The choice was: To stand and walk out. May be being upset and look for some other place, or to explore the menu and order something else… I had to explain to the little ones that they had to order something else, first they were frustrated, but finally they agreed on a ham and egg wrap. We all enjoyed the breakfast and we observed frustrated people walking out, also a frustrated manage...

Christmas is almost here! and I'm tuning in to the Christmas spirit. I got this antenna hat to get a better perception of what's going on around. Christmas is all about what you want it to be. Do you want it to be about shopping? Do you want it to be about gifts? Do you want it to be about great food? Do you want it to be about generosity? Do you want it to be about hope, about faith, about love? The choice is yours. I'm going to make it great for my family, and about the greatest gift of love... About the Love of God and about his son Jesus. Merry Christmas to all my faithful readers. I hope of this Christmas celebration bring joy, love, hope, peace, health and prosperity to your life and the life of all your beloved ones. God Bless you!

Is almost Christmas, but at our Internet Campus Christmas already started with a service last Thursday, and today we will continue with two more services, one at 5 p.m. and other at 6:30 p.m.(Eastern Standard Time). Every service is broadcasted live and Pastor Brian is having a live participation on every service to introduce and dismiss it. A good thing is that we are experiencing our brand new video switcher and other interesting toys that will allow us to have a higher quality transmission for people to experience “One Church Where You Are”

I don’t really remember much about my first year at elementary shool. Besides I was always distracted looking around. While my schoolmates were trying to learn the basics of the alphabet I was fluent in reading and I was doing my first writings… So I was the worst nightmare a teacher can have. By the end of my first year, I got expelled for misconduct, so my mother took me to another school. She explained my situation, and after some evaluation with two teachers, I stepped directly into the 3rd grade. That year, the school did a musical play, I loved the rehearsals and performing in a big auditorium. I remember that as a great year at school. My conduct was always problematic, and my name was well known in school. I was a fast learner and I had the capability to understand what the teacher explained at once, so I got plenty of time to think of other things. At home, things where rough because my father was having financial difficulties and my mother started getting sick from low blood...

According to the Catholic tradition, all the Christian names have a saint, so when you baptize an infant you must give them one saint name to be accepted by the priest. All the saint names are distributed all over the 365 days of the Gregorian calendar and when a new saint is approved by the Vatican, a celebration day is assigned. Why am I explaining all of this? Just because yesterday, was the day of “Saint Arturo”, and immediately I received a phone calls from Mexico, from my sisters, my big brother and two cousins. I used to celebrate my “Saint day” with a big party, and in order to be invited to the celebration, you had to call me by phone, congratulate me, and there you where invited. I was used to receive between 80-120 calls… The first one it was always my mom, I loved that call… I missed that call yesterday. After that, call, after call, and my answer, was “thanks for remember I hope to see you tonight after 9 p.m. will be fun” I used to had live music and some times there was...

Last Saturday, one of my daughter’s friend fell from a bunk bed and ended in the Hospital. Thanks God there was nothing bad, besides few bruises. My daughters told me that they prayed like never before in the life, they where worried for what happened, so we went to the Hospital. We all need encouragement and when we are sick, a visit from our friends is encouraging. We have a popular phrase on Mexico . You know your friends in the Hospital and in the prison.

I was four years old when my dad taught me to read. By that time, my older brother Pepe, was acquiring a weekly publication to build an illustrated encyclopedia. I remember the cover, it had an astronaut, and atom and it was colorful and attractive to read it. Since I learned to read, I started reading… the Encyclopedia. May be others kids were reading tales, but my first readings were about an incredible world. By some reason, the definition of the Atom, was really interesting to me, “Atom: The smallest particle of matter that cannot be divided. Consists of a Nucleus with protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons”… then I liked to repeat that out loud. You can imagine the surprise of the adults when they listened to me… after that, my dad was so proud of me, that when some one came to the house, he called me… “Don Arturo, please explain the Atom”, so I explained and then I was going back to my readings or my wall observations. Those were my main activities. I loved to read anythin...

Today I got a great opportunity to have some fun with all the Flamingo Road Church Team. Our Lead Pastor, Troy Gramling took us on a journey to better understand what is required to be a leader, to have some challenges and also to have some fun. The day included a field trip to a nice park on the highest Davie Area, getting some pictures, that illustrates our Ethos, answering (or trying to answer) some fifth grade questions, voting, driving to a Hallandale Beach Campus, Decorating a big Cookie, finding who was a “Mysterious Santa”, driving to the Aventura Mall, seeking for some stores, and finally we went all together to watch the movie “Fred Claus”… I learned some interesting things about how we act and react when we face pressure, challenge and we develop sympathy or other feelings as we work with a team… interesting day!

Sol and Antonio moved from Cozumel to Mexico City. With no place to live, neither resources to buy anything, he found refuge at his mother’s house. With and expectant mother and his child Pepe, he decided to get a car and start his own business as a cab owner/driver. At this point of his life, everything he was dreamed about was just vanished, and he needed to support his new family and over all, he was back to his mother’s house, to live with her and his young brother, and as a side effect of the Diabetes his temper was getting worst every day. He bought a car and got the license, permits and plate to offer his taxi cab services. He got the plate 5345 that will remain with him for several years. Few months later, on May 12, 1958 Sol gave birth to the first De la Mora-Carrasco, at the Central Military Hospital in Mexico City and they named Alicia Maria Antonieta. Alicia. By December on that year Sol was pregnant again and the family grew with Patricia on August 12, 1959 on the same Ho...

My Church, Flamingo Road Church has a vision to open 50 new campuses to reach 100,000 people. One of the key to succeed will be communications. At this point we have six campuses; one of them is at Lima City , in Peru . 3,000 miles away (more or less) How to be connected? Internet is now the way. Yesterday we got our weekly staff meeting and for the first time, we where able to include Steve Guschov and his wife Dorcas in our meeting. They are running the Lima Campus and thanks to the internet , they were present on the meeting. Times are changing, church too… we are molding to the new era of telecommunications.

Last month, Troy Gramling, my pastor, launched a campaign to raise toys and bikes to give a different Christmas to child in need. He challenged the congregation to reach no more, no less than 600 bikes… Since then, every day I been seeing someone walking in with a toy or a gift to deposit on the groove big box located on the church lobby. Last Sunday he announced that people has donated…. 614 bikes, and the box is full… this is amazing, to be part of something that will give to the parents who are having difficult time an opportunity to give to their kids a great Christmas, and the opportunity to believe that God is always there for them J

Tonight, we officially launched our Internet Campus live from Cooper City Campus. We been working on the setup, moving the server, getting the lanes with the Audio and Video feed from the production room, setting up the lights, camera, cables, decoration, and everything trying to get it ready for today and launch it from the new studio. We got a successful launch. I just remember when we where having a conversation about a year ago, when Troy, our lead pastor dreamed about it, and Raul, our executive pastor, trusted me with the project. We started with a couple who recently moved from Cooper City to North Carolina and after few weeks we launched our first live transmission with an audience of 2 people. After that we researched, compared to other services, test, retest and the audience grown every week with more and more unique I.P.’s from all over the world. Today, we have an average weekend attendance of 1,000 unique IP’s every weekend, we have Brian Vasil as Campus pastor interacting...