madethisway

Where Are You Headed?

2010-08-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

We all get to a point in our lives when a decision needs to be made. Whether its what school should I attend, what man or woman do I marry, to what job to take. These are tough decisions to make and we always have that fear of making the wrong decision. Is this the right school? Is he/she the one for me? Is this the job for me? All these questions go through our mind when we are dealing with these issues and not until we make that decision do we find out if it was the right one.

What I have discovered is that these decisions are hard to make because I try to decide what is best for me on my own. I don't consult anyone and if I do, I ultimately do what I feel is best for me. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.

But when we ask God to help us decide, it seems like everything is much clearer. Recently I had to make a decision of where I was headed in my career. This was something that I had been contemplating for a few months and I never really never knew what to do. I always prayed to God to provide a solution for me, but still tried to do it on my own. Eventually I got to the point where I realized that I need God to make those decisions for me and He doesn't need my opinion.

So I let it all to God and asked Him what He wanted me to do. I listened to His voice and He led me to the decision that I had to make. That decision was to quit my job. I did not question this decision and had no worries of how it all was going to work out. Keep in mind that I was going to quit without having a job waiting for me. But that's what God wanted from me and I had to obey.

I went to my bosses office and I told him that I was going to quit. After about two hours of talking I came out relieved and in peace with the decision God had made for me. Its been a week since I said I was going to quit and I still don't know where I am headed. I gave my boss two months to get somebody while I look for a job. He offered to give me of what I wanted in order to stay, but needed approval from upper management. So right now I am waiting to see what management says. Will they give me what I want or are they going to let me go?

I honestly do not know what they are going to tell me, and I am OK with that. Where I stand now, there is nothing for me to do. It is all in Gods hands. He decided for me that I should tell my boss that I quit. And He is the one that is going let everything work out. That might mean that I stay at my job and get more challenging work or it might mean that I have to start looking for a new job and start fresh. Whatever the outcome is, I'm at peace with it. Even though my future is uncertain, I have no fear. Because for once I let God decide what path I should take and I actually let Him go through with it. Now its just a matter of time when God wants to reveal to me where I am headed. And I couldn't be more happy that I did not have to make that decision myself.

photo credit: Julia Manzerova

Not Good Enough

2010-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

No matter what you been through, no matter what you've done in the past God can and will use you. It doesn't matter if you feel worthy or not, God has plans for you to prosper. That is something hard to grasp, well at least it is for me. How can God use somebody like me? What can he possibly use me for?

As much as I ask myself these questions, God always reminds me that He has great things in store for me. I grew up with my dad not being around much. It was always just me, my brothers and my mom. My mom being over protective didn't really let us have much of a social life growing up. I've always been a very self conscious guy, never felt like I was good enough.

I think because of this I always second guess God. It is always hard for me to accept the plans He has for me. The way I see it is that I will never be good enough to follow God's plan. Have you ever felt like that? Like there is something you should do but you don't feel like you are able to do it or that you are not good enough.

What I have realized is that the reason I feel that way is because the only way I will be able to do what God has called me to do is if I trust in Him. I know that I cannot do it on my own so I have to depend on God. Which if you think about it makes sense.

God wants to bless us but He doesn't just want to hand us the blessing. He wants us to do our part. All we have to do is to have faith in Him and His plans. We end up depending on God and He ends up blessing us. It's a win-win scenario. But yet we struggle with that.

God does not care about our past or our failings. That will not stop God from using us. We really have no excuse. If we feel we are not worthy or not good enough, God is going to tell us "OK, well then let me help you." We have to accept that with God we can do all things, even though we don't think we can.

photo credit: .m for matthijs

Life without God

2010-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about how your life would be without God? What it would be like if you didn't have a relationship with your Creator? A life where you have nobody to depend on and all the decisions you make is completely on you. I think about that a lot. Would my life be the same if I didn't have a relationship with God? The simple answer is no. There is no way I would be where I am at if it wasn't for God.

But how would my life be if I never accepted God into my heart? I think I would be an alcoholic, just like my dad. I was saved at 13 and never lived a rebellious life. Sometimes I would be curious to experiment living in the world, but never had the courage to do so. What has stopped me is seeing how my father has lived his life without God.

I have an addicting nature. Whenever I start working on some project that really interest me I am constantly thinking about it and will always be doing something related to it. If there is a new gadget that I get I will play with it constantly until I get bored or get something new.

Recently I started watching the TV show LOST. I never watched an episode until the series ended. With my Netflix account I began watching since Season 1 and I have become addicted to that show. I cannot stop watching it. All of this is innocent, but who knows what would happened if I got introduced to some more serious stuff.

I am proud to say that I never drank alcohol and never smoked. I am proud to say that. When people find out about this they are shocked. Surely I must had some temptation to try it, but I never did. I strongly feel that if I taste alcohol and start to be a casual drinker it will lead to an addiction. I don't know if it will really happen but I rather not find out. I have seen how alcohol has ruined people's lives. I see it in my family.

My cousins that I grew up with, most of them are either alcoholics, druggies, convicts or all of the above. If I would of continued my life hanging out with them I would of turned out just like them. Thankfully my mom kept us in church and brought us up with good church values. I am where I am because of that. So when I think about what my life would be without God, I know that it would be miserable.

Maybe you have thought where your life would be if you had no relationship with God. Maybe you already know what it would be like because you already lived your life with out God. The reality is that nothing and I mean nothing can provide the way God does. And there is no way that we can live this life on our own. I mean, I don't have that much drama in my life, but with what I deal with there is no way I can do it on my own. I need God on my side. I need God in my life.

photo credit: Tea | Seatory

Marketing to the Unchurched

2010-06-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

One weekend we were in Santa Monica walking down Third Street and Promenade. It was a beautiful day and like every weekend there were street performers through out the street. There was a crew of guys break dancing, another man playing the drums and in front of a Forever 21 there was a street preacher. He had a large crowd and seemed to be having a dialogue going on with the audience.   He seemed well prepared and seemed to have an answer for everything.

At first I was impressed. It takes a lot of guts going in front of people and preaching the word of God. However this experience was not what I was expecting. He turned out to be really rude and was very disrespectful to those who were against him.

This street preacher had a slide show going on with various pictures. I personally was not sure what these pictures where or what they represented. So I was glad when somebody decided to ask him. The street preacher's response was "Read your history". Ummm, OK. Now you left a man who wanted an honest answer totally turned off by you.    I don't think he converted anybody that day.

So what happened there? What happened there is what I call bad marketing.

So my question is how do we market to the unchurched? Do we try to do what this street preacher did and try to give out facts and refuse to listen to anybody else opinions? That is not the way to do it. If you really want to market to the unchurched you can do this by not letting them realize that you are marketing to them. In other words by your example.

Think about it, when you get sold on something you don't realize you are being sold. It's something you decide to do because you have already built that relationship, a trust that will make you want to buy from them.   If you don't realize that they are trying to market to you, then you will most likely listen to what they have to say. And if they show you something that is worth listening to then you just might be interested in what they have to say.

This street preacher was already defensive from the beginning. He knew that he was going to be arguing with those that didn't believe what he had to say. So he felt that the only way he was going to be able to get through with this is by being defensive. But what ended up happening is that he didn't bother to listen to what they had to say. He was to concerned in the message he wanted to present that he didn't realize that he was turning people off by the way he presented himself.

If you want to reach somebody you do not start acting defensive towards them. You take the time to get to know the person and listen to what they have to say. And if you are living right then that will attract them and they will want to know more. Because you have built a relationship they are willing to listen to what you have to say. And that is how you market to the unchurched.

photo credit: philippe leroyer

Wanting an Adventure

2010-06-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

An adventure is what I crave for. I always said that God has great things in store for me.  And although He has blessed me with this life, I want more.  I feel like the book in my life has stayed in the same chapter and not much is going on.  The urge to do something radical boils within me, but I don't know what it is.

Part of me wants to leave this place and go somewhere completely different and do something extraordinary where all I can rely on is God. I want to get to a point that so much is going on in my life that I don't know where I am going.  But all I can do is rely on God because I know He is taking me places that I will never be able to go on my own.

A journey that enlarges my territory and I am growing spiritually. Where miracles are occurring all around me.  Where I know I am in the place God has called me to be and I am making a difference in other's lives.  This place is where my finance problems are gone, and I have a career that I am proud of and excited to be doing.

Where I want to go is somewhere that is out of my average, ordinary life. A place where I am walking with God and I know this is where I'm suppose to be at.

An adventure with God is what I want.

photo credit: divemasterking2000

Wanting Change

2010-06-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

I want change. Change in my life. I want to live an adventure and leave a legacy for my life but to do that I need to change.

I have a lot of ideas of different things I want to accomplish. But if I don't do anything about it then that's all it is, ideas. That's why I say that I need to change because I am not acting on these ideas. You can talk and talk all you want about all the things you want to do, but it's worthless if you don't actually go out and do it.

God has been revealing a lot of things to me and that's awesome, but He is expecting me to do something with it. God blesses me but if I don't use that blessing then I am the one that looses.

Without action, Faith is just words. I need to be bold and take action and take the path that God is revealing to me. I might not know where this path will take me, but I do know that God will be walking along side with me through this journey.

photo credit: David Reece

Peace

2010-05-25T02:52:00.000-07:00

"And let the peace that comes from Christ, rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."

Colossians 3:15

Peace is probably the last thing people are experiencing now a days. With the economy being in the worst shape in US history, homes being lost, and companies failing it seems like people are experiencing fear and worry before they experience any peace.

But in the bible it tells us that God can give us that peace at any time. Whether we just lost our home or have just been laid off, God can still provide that peace that we desperately need.

Through out my life I have complained about many things, but I have also learned to trust God with these situations. Yet there was no real peace. And if there was, it was always just temporary. I have come to realize that as much as I want to have control, I never will. And as much as I try to take a peek at God's plan, I will never truly know where He is taking me.

God asks me not only to have faith and trust in Him but to also have the peace that I don't have to worry about my problems but that somebody GREATER than me is taking care of it. When I have that trust in Him (fully) and be OK with that and have peace, He will provide. And He always does.

photo credit: Ennor

Breakthrough

2010-05-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

There is no in betweens. Once we truly let go and take that step of faith, God will reveal everything to you and you will experience a breakthrough. But you must make that decision. CHOOSE HIM. It is so simple, but yet we don't always do it.

Sometimes we keep saying "I have faith in you God and I'm ready to do whatever it is you want to do." But nothing changes. So we need to analyze why nothing has changed. So if you made that commitment, what have you done to show that? Are you praying more? Are you reading your word more? Are you seeking God more? Are you doing anything differently to show you are trusting God? 99% of the time, we are not getting an answer from God because we haven't done our part.

What we have with God is a relationship, not an acquaintance. God is so deeply in love with us and all He wants is that we feel the same way about Him. We are in His constant thoughts and He is always seeking us. All He wants is for us to do the same thing. The best part of this relationship is that despite us messing up or not giving our part, He always forgives us and waits for us with open arms. How awesome is that!

Love Him and dedicate time to Him. It's that simple. When we do that, then that is when breakthroughs begin to happen. You will be doing great things for God when you truly put your faith and trust in Him and start relying on Him.

Funny thing is that God wants to bless us and we sometimes see that as a bad thing. Why? God's blessings can be nothing but good.

photo credit: Desirée Delgado

Am I Really Worshiping God?

2010-05-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to a men's bible study and got motivated. Part of me was considering not going to the bible study. There was so much going on and I honestly would of rather slept in. But I still went and I am glad I did.

I was reminded what worship is all about and how I haven't really been worshiping God. Every time I prayed to God I quickly said thank you to Him but then went straight to my problems. I probably spent 90% of the time talking about me and 10% worshipping God. That's not what worship is about. It's not about me. It's about God.

If you have a conversation with somebody and you are only talking about yourself the other person is not gonna want to listen to you anymore. That's how I've been treating God. I focus too much time on my problems and even though I am praying to God, it is not productive because I am not worshiping God. (It might also have to do with the fact that I am a whiner.

I need to remind myself this. Whenever I go to God with my problems, I need to spend time worshiping God first. Why would God help me with my problems if I can't be grateful for what He does for me and for who He is. Being the God that He is should be enough reason to worship Him. But I don't always do that. So I need to change that. I am making the proclamation that I will spend more time worshiping God then complaining about my problems. Are you with me?

photo credit: dtcchc

The Ultimate Father

2010-05-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

I wrote the following the first week that my daughter was born.

The moment that she was born, everything changed for me. Not until I saw her little body did I really realize that I was a father. All of my fears just went away. When I saw Maya all I wanted to do was hold her despite me being terrified of holding babies. To me it didn't matter, I just wanted to be with her. It felt as if all of a sudden all the "parent" instincts just kicked in. Although we didn't sleep as good as we use to, I wouldn't trade it in for the world.

I now know that I would do anything for my daughter. The first night she was with us and we left her alone in the other room for a few minutes, I was terrified. The moment she started crying I ran to her room. I just don't want her to suffer. Ever. Even watching her sleep brings joy to my life.

It's so funny how your life changes so quickly without you realizing it. Being a father is an awesome feeling and knowing that you have somebody that is yours is such a gratifying feeling. I am so grateful to God for blessing me with such a beautiful daughter.

I think until now did I truly realize how God sees us all. I know God is the ultimate father and He loves us like nobody else. But not until now do I see how God sees us through fatherly eyes. You have so much joy from everything your child does. Even just breathing. All the little things you take for granted, God takes joy from it all. If I know how much I love my daughter and how I would do anything for her, it only makes me realize how much more God loves us and how much more He hurts when he sees us suffering.

Even seeing my daughter get the hiccups hurts me, because I know how uncomfortable it is for her. Now imagine how much God is suffering when he sees us get sick or sees us in a hospital because we have some disease. Or even when we turn our back on Him or don't look for Him the way we should. I know I would suffer if my daughter started ignoring me and stopped depending on me. That would just hurt so much.

And now I understand what God must feel when we don't pray to Him or don't look for Him. All He wants is for us to show that we need Him because as a father He will do anything to give us a blessed life. Just like I would do anything I can to give my daughter a blessed life. We truly have an awesome God that sees us through fatherly eyes and because of that He will always be there for us.

I wrote this a year ago. And now my daughter is walking! She just started walking on her own this week and luckily I got it on video to share with you.

photo credit: Gilzee

My Letter to God

2010-04-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

Dear God,

I love you! That's how I want to start this letter. By telling you that I love you. I know that I am not perfect and that I don't deserve your love, but I am very thankful that you love me.

Forgiveness is what I ask from you. Although I sound like a broken record by asking for forgiveness, I know that you still listen. This journey that I am taking, I want to take it with you. It doesn't matter to me where the destination is, all that matters is that you are there with me. It is all up to me for that to happen. You give us free will and we have the choice to follow you. I choose to follow you but I struggle. I get distracted and can't keep my focus on you. I know what I need to do, yet I still sin and struggle.

It is time to do things right. Again I sound like a broken record, but I need to act. I am just wasting time, doing my own thing... and struggling. When this whole time you have been extending your hand to help me. I am reaching out to you Lord and asking you to help me in my walk with you. I don't want to screw up anymore. I want to be the MAN you have called me to be. But it comes first from me. I must choose the path that you want me to take and then I must walk that path. And don't turn back.

I want to walk with you! Let this be the moment of change. The moment that I truly get fired up for you God!

I Love You,

Carlos Sandoval

photo credit: LarimdaME

Stop Your Whining and Do Something About It

2010-04-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a whiner. I complain about everything. It seems like there is always something I am not happy about. From my financial status, to my job to even my whiningness (is that even a word?). I complain. It just comes natural.

Whenever I start complaining I always start thinking about what solutions I can come up with to fix what ever it is that's bothering me. Usually I come to the conclusion that I will not get to that certain point until I do something else to help me get there. For example I might say how much I want to get involved in ministry but justify it by saying I need to have more time to dedicate to it. So once I get a higher paying job where I have to drive less in traffic then I can get involved. Because then I will have time to dedicate to a ministry. Seems logical right?

The problem with this is that I might never get to that point. So what ends up happening is that I continue with the complaining that I haven't been involved in ministry or whatever else it is that I am complaining about. And nothing changes.

This past weekend my wife and I were talking about this. After reading Jon Acuff post I brought up the conversation of reaching our dreams. There are so many things we want to do that we just never done. From traveling to other countries, to having our own ministry to even adopting a child. We always say that once we pay off our debt or once the kids get older we can do these things. But what I told my wife is, what if we never pay off our debt? Or what if something else comes up that stops us from reaching these goals? What if this is the life we are suppose to live? We would have to find ways of reaching our goals with what we have, right? Or else we are going to be spending the rest of our lives waiting for the right time. And the reality is that there is no such thing as the right time. We are always going to be waiting for the right time or the right situation, but it may never come. And then what? We accomplish nothing.

Sometimes we need to realize that we have what we have for a reason. If we don't have much that doesn't mean God can't bless us. We cannot be going by our own time table, we need to be going by God's. Because if we try to do it according to our own timing it will most likely never happen. And we will end up spending the rest of our lives just whining about it.

photo credit: frotzed2

Just Let It Go

2010-04-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

2 Chronicles 26:5

We all say that we trust in the Lord and that we will follow His will. But when we really look at our lives, have we really been doing that? At least for me I feel that this is not always the case. Every time I pray to God for something, I say that I leave it in His hands, yet I am loosing sleep by worrying about it. Or worse yet, I am trying to figure out the solution myself.

How many of you have done this? You pray to God to provide something but you don't let Him figure it out. You just can't let the situation go. In the verse above it tells us that as long as we seek the Lord, He will make us prosper. That's all we have to do. We just need to seek Him. Nothing more.

I have always struggled letting God control my life. I feel like I always have to put my input. But you know what? God does not need my input. He already has everything figured out. He is just waiting for me to ask for His help. Once I do that He will take care of the rest.

I know this because every time I go through some sort of struggle I never get results until I truly let God control the situation. Until I stop giving my opinion and stop trying to figure things out, that's when God comes in and provides. Its so simple, yet it's so hard for me to let go. If you really think about it, why would I want to keep all my problems to myself when I can hand it over to God. He is the one that can take care of it all. And if I seek him, He will make me prosper.

Tenth Avenue North has this great song called "Let It Go". This describes exactly how I feel about letting God handle my problems.

But You say let it go, You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one's who lose control
You say you will be, everything I need
You said if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul
You say let it go.

Check out the video below.

photo credit: Juan Rubiano

Just Like Her Mother

2010-04-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the laundromat as our dirty clothes was starting to pile up. While we were waiting for the clothes to finish drying, we were sitting in the bench watching our daughter run across the laundromat. She was having a blast. Well during this time my wife walked over to the store next door and bought some Hot Cheetos. Of course Maya wanted some. With this girl you cannot eat something without her asking you for some. There are times when we have to hide what we are eating just so she won't ask us for some.

But this was Hot Cheetos, we thought it was going to be too hot for her. But I tell you this girl will eat anything. So my wife gave her one to taste, and she ate it. She made no faces, it didn't even seem to be hot for her. She is one fearless girl. I know its just Hot Cheetos but she is only one years old and probably shouldn't be eating spicy things. But that she definitely got from her mother. I love the fact that she is willing to try new things without any hesitation. That's the attitude we need to have sometimes.

Are You Ready to Step Up?

2010-04-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

I thought I was ready, but soon realized that I wasn't. I wrote here before about the homeless and how my church has a program to reach them. I also mentioned how I always wanted to get involved in that but never did. So today during my lunch, I had opportunity to step up but I failed.

For those of you who know me, I almost never carry cash on me. It's a bad habit, but I depend a lot on my debit card. But today I happened to have cash on me, $5 to be exact. So anyways, as I drove in to the restaurant a homeless man approaches the car in front of me. He, from what I can see, is asking for some money. I knew that after he was done there he was going to approach me. So I had plenty of time to decide what I wanted to do. Do I ignore him? Do I give him my spare change? Or do I give him my $5?

I decided that I would give him my $5 dollars. He seemed like a good guy and seemed like he just wanted to get some money to eat. It felt good giving him the money, but I could of done more. This type of interactions I had imagined before. I always imagined making a conversation to the homeless person and sharing with them God's love. But nothing came out of my mouth. I just gave him the money and continued to the drive-thru.

I had the opportunity to step up but I failed. After I left, I just kept thinking of all the things I could have said to him. From asking his name, to simply saying I'm gonna pray for you. But nothing came out. Not a single word. I thought I was going to be able to step up to the occasion, but I froze.

I'm going to pray for that man, that God protects him. But I am also going to pray for me. That when another opportunity like this comes up, I don't freeze up, and I am able to step up so that God can use me.

photo credit: tibchris

Stay Away... I'm a Dream Killer

2010-04-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

That's what my wife calls me. I don't mean to be but somehow I kill her dreams. I am a very realistic person and I like facts. That's just how I am. So when my wife tells me that there is something she wants to pursue I always tell her all the good and all the bad about it. I think I'm being a good husband. But what I don't realize is that I'm killing her dreams.

One of her aspirations has always been to become a lawyer. I always try to encourage her with that, but for some reason I always have to mention how expensive its going to be and how long its going to take. Which is the truth, but that's not what she wants to hear. She just wants me to tell her, yes you can do it, I believe in you. But I always have to ruin it with my comments. I in fact am a dream killer.

My wife on the other hand, is the opposite. Every time I share with her my crazy ideas, she never puts me down and always encourages me to do whatever it is I want to do. Just yesterday I was telling her about a possible job that I am interested in applying. This was something very different than what I currently do and not every person can handle that kind of job. This job is in media but involves sales, which I have no experience in. I quite honestly do not know if I have the character of somebody who can be good in sales. So I asked my wife for her opinion, expecting her to support me but hit me with a hint of reality, that sales might not be for me. But instead she was completely encouraging and never said anything negative.

That's when I realized that I am a horrible husband. My wife never kills my dreams, and yet I always kill hers.

photo credit: Stuck in Customs

Never Ceases to Amaze Me

2010-04-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

When things seem to go wrong and there seems to be no answer in sight, God always provides. As I try to figure out what I need to do to get myself out of my problem, my solutions never seem to work. But then God intervenes and provides. He never ceases to amaze me!

photo credit: paul (dex) busy @ work

Your Impact on Others

2010-04-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Like as if every move you make is being closely observed? As Christians, that's how it sometimes feels like. We are viewed differently and people watch our every move. For this reason it's very important how we interact with others. You never know who you are influencing.

During last weeks Easter service there were baptisms at our church. 4 of our youth got baptized that day. I have always enjoyed watching baptisms, and more when it's somebody I know. Two of the boys that got baptized where in my Royal Ranger class a few years ago when they where in junior high. It's a pretty amazing feeling knowing that I had some kind of influence in their walk with God. And it's even more amazing knowing that they are still continuing in the right path.

You just never know who you are influencing in your everyday life. There is a family friend from my wife's side that in my opinion is a horrible mother. I know that sounds mean, but I honestly do feel that way. She has a 7 year old daughter and a 4 month old baby boy. That poor boy! He is always crying just wanting some attention, and his mother just ignores him. Unfortunately this has caused her daughter to look after her baby brother. Something that she should have no responsibility for. After all she is just a kid. It's pretty sad.

All this little girl wants is some love and attention. Unfortunately her father is not around in her life and all she has is her mother. So when she comes over, she has a blast with us because somebody is paying attention to her and she gets to act like a kid. Sometimes she just wants to be held. Sometimes she just wants to feel loved. So when she comes over I always try to spend time with her and at least for that time period , she can feel like she has a dad.

Everything we do has consequences and it can leave an impact on everything around us. As Christians we have a higher pedestal. We can have a great impact and influence in others lives. We need to realize this. We need to learn to have authentic relationships with not only our Christian family but those that don't know the Lord. You just never know who's life you can be impacting.

So the question for you is, how have you made an impact on others lives?

photo credit: [phil h]

I Need to Unplug

2010-04-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

Don't you feel sometimes that you just need some "me" time and cleanse yourself. We try to do so much and we are always busy. It's easy to get distracted with life. But sometimes you get to the point where you just need to unplug and get recharged. I have a lot of stuff going on in my life. With work, my family, church and anything else that comes up I feel like I am always trying to catch up.

I need to have some alone time and get all my thoughts together and recharge myself. I have so much going on in my mind that its hard to focus on one thing. My mind is all over the place and that just makes it feel like I am not doing anything. Ironically the thing that would help is having a day where I don't do anything. This weekend I had the chance to have some "me" time and recharged myself. It was only for a couple of hours, but it felt good.

This weekend I took my car to the dealer to get its scheduled maintenance. I waited in their lobby for approximately 2 hours while they serviced my car. This time allowed me to spend some alone time with God. I had the chance to read through my journal and read on things that I wrote on 3 years ago. So much has changed, and I was able to see how blessed I've been over the years. The time that I spent doing nothing allowed me to cleanse my mind and get all my thoughts together.

I am more focused now and I know great things are coming ahead. Putting aside all the craziness of life allowed me to just clarify what next steps God wants me to take. I realized that I let too many things distract me and I have not been able to be productive. Now that I am more focused, I can expect God to use me in even greater things. I suggest you do the same thing.

Take some time off where its just you and God, even if its just for a couple of hours. If you take that alone time, try to make it productive. Here are a few things you can try to accomplish:

Clear your mind- Put aside any worries or concerns that you have and just try to clear your mind of everything.

Invite God- Once you cleared your mind, invite God. Ask Him to help you get recharged and to allow this time to be encouraging.

Meditate- Meditate on all that God has done in your life. Thank Him for all the blessings He has given you.

Journal- Write down whatever comes to mind. You will see that God has something to speak to you.

Set Goals- As God speaks to you and you have more clarity, set goals for yourself. See what things you feel God wants you to do and set goals to accomplish them.

Say Thanks- Thank God for allowing you to spend time with Him. Just soak in His presence.

Pray- Finish your alone time with God with a prayer.

If you really set your mind to it, you can really come out of this refreshed. I know I felt refreshed after I have my time with God. I feel recharged and excited about where God is leading me. So unplug, spend some alone time with God and get recharged.

photo credit: WisDoc

How I Met My Wife

2010-04-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

Currently I am reading the book "It's Your Time" by Joel Osteen. One of the chapters that really spoke to me was on our God given opportunities. What we don't realize is that God has great things in store for us. And not only that but He has it all planned out ahead of time. Everything that happens in this world is for a purpose. Something that happened years ago, might come to be useful in our lives now. As we see all of our blessings we can see that it all happened because of God. There would be no way we could of put all those pieces together and get blessed. I know this is true because this is how I met my wife.

Almost 7 years ago my life was changed for the better. It was the Summer of 2003, I was going to college and had a part time job at Rite Aid. I was at work one day when a friend of mine came to visit with two of her friends. But before I go any further, let me give you the back story. This friend wasn't really a friend. She was my buddy's girlfriend and I had just met her 2 months before. So this "friend" was also friends with Daisy. They both went to the same college and met on campus but had not seen each other for a couple of months. So back to the story.... This particular day they bumped into each other and started talking. Just like every other 20 year old girls, they were talking about guys. At that time Daisy was very frustrated at all the guys she had met. Somehow during that conversation, our "friend" thought she should take Daisy to my job so she can introduce me to her. Why she thought of me, I have no idea.

So there I am at work, when I get they call me out to the front. Not knowing what to expect, I see my "friend". Surprised to see her, she tells me that she wants me to meet somebody. She introduces me to her two friends, one of them being Daisy. We had a very short conversation, and they left. Later on my friend asks me if I am interested in Daisy, and of course I said yes. I gave her my number to call me and that night we were on the phone over an hour getting to know each other. One month later I ask her to be my girlfriend, and the rest is history.

The crazy part of all of this is that a month later, we never heard again of our friend. Last thing I heard, she broke up with my buddy and nobody has heard from her since. As I look back at this, I know that it was all God orchestrating all of these events. Before I even met my wife, He had already planned all this events to happen so that we can meet. We need to realize that God is controlling our lives and has a purpose for every event we go through. But we need to embrace all those opportunities he is giving us to bless us. If it wasn't for all these events to happen, I would of never met my wife. Who knows where I would be right now. So see every event as an opportunity that God has given you to be blessed. You never know, you just might find your future wife or husband this way.

photo credit: birlewphotography

A Place to Stay

2010-04-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

On my way home from work I see at least one homeless person. The majority of the time it's on the freeway offramp. And more than likely they are panhandling. I will be honest, the majority of the time I try to avoid eye contact and you probably do the same. I know that they are going to ask for money so they can buy some alcohol. Well at least that's my assumption and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that. Don't try to hide it, you know your guilty of this too.

I always think to myself what happened to them to get to that point? What circumstances made them just give up and live in the streets? They don't even bother attempting to work. Well at least that's what I think, I don't know about you.

One Saturday morning, I stopped by to get some breakfast for my wife and I. I really wasn't that hungry but I still ordered a breakfast burrito. Driving back home was a homeless man asking for money. Then and there I felt God telling me to give my burrito to the man. Without hesitation I called the man over and gave him my burrito. You should of seen the look on his face, he was amazed and really seemed thankful. Who knows when was the last time he had something to eat.

At my church we have a program called Feed the City, where they go throughout the city and feed the homeless. I have never helped out but always wanted to. They do amazing things and it's pretty crazy how many homeless people are out there. But it's more crazy to see that there are very little people doing anything about it. The reality is that these people have a story and a reason why they are where they are. And because we all shut them out they have very little chance to get out of this situation. We need to do our part.

Check out the video below and see the reality of the homeless. What do you think we can do to help in this?

photo credit: toddwshaffer

How do I know what Path to take?

2010-03-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs that I have been reading recently is Ragamuffin Soul by Carlos Whittaker. Carlos is a pastor, worship leader and blogger among other things. He is using his God given abilities to reach others. He is living the life he was made to live. But how can we get to that point, where we are doing what God made us to do?

One important thing is to first realize what our unique abilities are. What are somethings that you are really good at? Can you think of anything? Ok, well how about thinking of times when you felt really good about something you did? Any luck there? I'm sure it can be hard to come up with these stuff, so let me give you some examples.

When I was in college I had a part time job at a local pharmacy. I was one of the shift supervisors for the store. Since I managed some of the employees there I had constant communication with them and was able to build good relationships with them. It got to the point that whenever we were in the office alone, they would talk to me about their personal stuff. A lot of times I would just listen and other times I would give them my honest opinion.

They would come to me because they trusted me and they knew I wasn't going to judge them. I always tried to be neutral and not take sides and they appreciated that. These interactions made me realize that I am really good with people and can be a great counselor. I know that this is one of my God given abilities. Whenever my family or friends have some kind of dilemma or problem they usually come to me for advice, because they know I will tell them the truth, eventhough it might be something they don't want to hear.

I've embraced that God given ability and I try to use it in my everyday life. I'm sure you have some examples that you can see God using you. As we realize how God made us, we start seeing new opportunities. All of a sudden God has oppened doors for us and we are in situations where God is using us. But we need to see the road that we are walking in, and we need to make sure that we are following God's path.

photo credit: Tambako the Jaguar

Daddy's Little Girl

2010-03-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

I love being a dad. There is nothing like getting home after a long day of work and having somebody excited to see you. If I came home tired and exhausted, it all goes away as soon as I see my daughter. She has so much energy and always has a smile on her face. A day doesn't pass when she doesn't make me laugh.

Everyday is something new with her. From a new word she picked up to a new dance move she came up with. She always amazes me with her adventurous attitude. I tell you if we give her worms to eat she will eat it. She might make a funny face, but she would chew up that worm and savor it. Don't worry I will never give her a worm to eat it.... Unless she gets dare to do it.

I can only imagine how she's going to be as she gets older, or when she becomes a teenager. AAAHHHH!!!! But you know what I shouldn't even go there. She is still daddy's little girl and I want to keep it that way as long as I can.

photo credit: Señor Codo

Being Fearless

2010-03-31T03:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished reading the book of Acts. I'm so amazed at all that Paul did for the kingdom of God. He was really hardcore. He would preach the Good News and convert people everywhere he went, even where he wasn't wanted. And not only was he not wanted, but they wanted to stone him.  Yet he still continued preaching. When ever he felt that he was in danger he would just move on to another town.  Even when Paul was stoned and was thought to be dead, he still continued preaching the Good News to other towns.

I can now understand why God allowed him to persecute Christians back when he was Saul. That prepared him for what he was going to deal with. All those years he spent persecuting Christians allowed him to know what to expect when the tables were turned and he was the one being persecuted. He went from town to town to preach the Good News and many were converted.  But most of the time he would leave those towns beaten.  Yet that never stopped him.  He himself dealt with persecution and he came out alive.  God protected him and allowed him to do his work.  It must of been hard for Paul and I'm sure he wanted to give up many times, but he didn't.  He pressed on and preached the Good News.  God prepared him for that work and he was determined to follow God's will.

Paul was a true man of God. Through trials and tribulations he continued following his calling.  Never did he ever lose faith.  How awesome is that.  I prayed that I can faith and strength like that.  That no matter what happens in my life, I can stay focus and follow God's will no matter what. I need to have that fearless attitude that Paul had.

There have been many times when I have failed God because of fear. I know that I need to do what God calls me to do, and sometimes its clear what that calling is. Yet I sometimes don't follow that calling because of fear. I'm sure you have gone through the same thing. Knowing that you need to do something that God has called you to do, but being scared out of your mind to actually doing it.   The reality is that if God called us to do that it's because He knows we are capable of doing it. He has been preparing us to do His work. Everything that we do in our lives is for a purpose, even though we might not realize it. Those events and situations that we went through in the past is what prepares us for what we are going to deal with in the future.

So we have to come to a decision, will I let my fear over take me and disobey God? Or will I be fearless and take on God's calling? There is a choice we can make, and I pray that I am like Paul and can be fearless in following God's calling.

Are you being fearless for God today?

photo credit: Dude Crush

Seasons

2010-03-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

I believe that we all go through seasons. Sometimes it's a good season and everything is going great. Other times things are going slow and we don't see that much growth. I want to share with you were I am right now and what season I'm in.

Ironically, I feel I am in the Spring season, which is the season we are in. This is the season when things are beginning to grow and flourish. I am determined to let God use me in ways I never imagined. I have always struggled letting God take control, I always have to give my opinion. But sometimes you just need to let it go, and let God do His work. I'm always saying how I want to make a difference in peoples lives, yet I haven't done much. I have now gotten to the point where I need to start acting and trusting God. One way I am trying to do this is with this blog. I know I have a purpose in my life and I need to start living it.

A lot of growth is coming, I can sense it. I have been truly blessed and I am very grateful for what I have. But now its time to start giving back. It's not always about receiving, we need to learn how to give also. It seems like in today's world we focus to much on ourselves and fail to see how much need is out there. Most of us don't realize that we can make a difference and impact others. We need to make this a season of growth and of flourishment.

When I look back at my life and see what I have done to have an impact in this world, I realize I could have done more. There were many opportunities that I let pass by and didn't take advantage of. There were many times were I refused to follow God's calling. There were times were I could of done more, and I failed. There were times when it was not my season and I didn't see any growth. And the only reason there was no growth was because of me, I refused to grow.

I might of not done it at purpose or even realized it, but I got to comfortable with life. Since things were going great and I had nothing real big to complain about, I just cruise around life, doing nothing. And that can be very dangerous. I might not be going downhill, but I definitely was not moving forward. I was just being neutral in my life. What is the purpose of that? I did not gain anything out of it.

So now it is a new season. A season of growth. A season of change. A season to make a difference. No more making excuses. I am letting God use me in ways only He can.

What season are you in?

photo credit: EssjayNZ

I just wanted to know the time.

2010-03-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Everyday we communicate with people. Sometimes its with people we love and others times its with people we have no choice but to talk to them. This world is in a constant rush. There is always somewhere we need to go, or at least it feels that way. So the time we spend with each other talking can sometimes feel a little rushed. We just want to hear the point of the conversation and move on. Unfortunately thats not how we build relationships. We need to spend that time communicating to build those relationships.

Sometimes all we want to know is the time. We ask somebody the time and they give us their whole life story. Some people are just born talking and they love to talk, and there is nothing wrong with that. But sometimes you just need to get straight to the point. You know what I mean?

I deal with (on a daily basis) with somebody who is like that. They love to talk and sometimes we have great conversations. But there are times where they fell they need to explain everything in great detail. And these are things that can be answered with a simple yes or no. That happened to me today. A simple yes or no question got answered in a 10 minute conversation. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about communication and having conversation with others to build a relationship. But there are times that you come out of a conversation and think there goes 20 minutes of my life. And you think that way because that conversation brought no value.

We should use our daily conversations to bring value to others. God has us here for a purpose and He wants to use us in every way possible. So lets really think about the conversations that we have with others and start seeing how we can be of value. And if somebody ask you what time it is, just give them the time.

What do you think? Am I ranting too much about this? Let me hear your thoughts.

photo credit: Carla216

It's 3 am, Why am I up?

2010-03-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

Its 3 am and its the third time that I am up. Not because I can't sleep or something is bothering me, but because I need to check on my 1 year old daughter. She is actually not crying or nagging, as a matter of fact she's as peaceful as one can be. But for some reason I need to check on her. We were lucky to have a baby that at 4 months was able to sleep the whole night. Not that many parents can say that about their kids. It was for only 4 months that we had to wake up every 3 hours to feed her and change her diaper. Now, I don't need to wake up every 3 hours for a bottle feeding, but yet I still do.

Once you become a parent, things just change. There is no way around it, you don't function the same anymore. It goes from being all about me to being all about my child and it happens from one day to the next. I never realized this transition, but it happened. I always put my daughter first before anything. It has gotten to the point where I don't really remember how things where before she was in our lives. Everything I do, I always think about how it affects her. If I need to stay to work overtime at work, the main thing that I think is "When am I going to get home to see Maya? I hope she is not asleep when I get home."

After more than 8 months of being able to sleep the whole night, I can't help but check on her, even if its just to watch her sleep. I don't need to wake up 4 or 5 times in the night. It's been rare the times where my daughter wakes us up in the middle of the night because she is hungry. So why do I sacrifice my sleep for nothing? Simply because she is worth it.

Sacrifes are hard to do but usually are worth it. My daughter is worth me losing my sleep (even if I don't have to stay up). She is worth me working my butt off at work and driving in L.A. traffic so that I can provide for her. She is everything to me and I will sacrifice anything for her. We all have different things in our lives that can mean a lot to us. It can be your kids, your wife, your career, etc. But in life comes sacrifices and its those sacrifices that we do for the things we love that truly make those sacrifices worth it.

God made some of us to be parents. That is one of the greatest gifts that He can give us. I am so blessed to have a daughter and to be expecting a son. My life has become so much better when I became a father. As a father, I know I have the responsibility to provide for my family, and that sometimes means making sacrifices. But if making sacrifices is what I need to do to give my family a better life, than that's what I need to do.

What sacrifices are you doing today for the people you love?

photo credit: daveblume

Now is the Time

2010-03-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

"We may make our future by the best use of the present. There is no moment like the present."
- Maria Edgeworth

You might have heard this expression before, but have you really thought about what it means. It is something easy to say, but when it comes down to pursuing our dreams, we tend to forget this saying. I think the problem is that we see dreams as just that, dreams. But if we see it that way then it will always be a dream and not a reality. When do we get to the point where we make our dreams a reality? Let me tell you when. NOW. Now is the time.

We can come up with a million excuses of why we can pursue our dream, but that will never get us close to making our dream a reality. Personally, the excuses that I gave was that I was too young, I don't have any experience, and nobody is even going to care. These excuses prevented me from pursuing a life that brings me fulfillment. I needed to get to the point where I said enough is enough, I need to start acting now. The sooner you begin the sooner you can reach your dreams and goals. And it can't getting any sooner than now.

If you've used the excuses that I made, I am hear to encourage you to not let that stop you. With the Internet today, there are limitless opportunities for every person to pursue the life they always dreamed about. Like I've said before, we are all unique and we all have our own individual abilities. Something you are good at might be something that I am terrible at. Just like we are all made different, we all have different dreams also. If every person pursued their dream, the world would be a different place, a happier place.

So make that decision today, to do whatever it is you need to do to pursue the life you so desperately want. No more excuses. Start acting today. Now is the time.

"Don't let the past steal your present."
- Cherralea Morgen

photo credit: wwarby

What are your Dreams and Ambitions?

2010-03-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share with you where I am in my life and where I want to go. As you can see in my about page, I work in the Advertising field. I went to a State University and got a bachelor's degree in Advertising. I really enjoy working in this field, and would like to continuing working in it. I currently have a 9 to 5 job, and I am very grateful for having this job (with this economy, I'm just glad I have a job). As I am getting older and I started thinking more about what I want to do in life, I realized that these office jobs don't work for me. The last few jobs that I've had, I get very bored and I am always ready to move on in just a short period of time. What I discovered is that I will find more fulfillment if I am doing something on my own.

Ever since becoming a father, I missed being at home more every day. I knew that I wanted a lifestyle where I can have time for my family, have a job that I love, and most importantly be able to provide for my family. I am sure there are many of you reading this that are in the same situation. You have a job that maybe you don't like so much, or wish you could spend more time with your family. But because you have a family to support you have not been able to pursue your dreams or ambitions. You might of even been looking online for possible ways to make money from home, but have found nothing but scams. Or some of you have just settled and just accepted that that's the way it has to be. I know I have made many excuses of why I do not go out and find the job that I so desperately wanted. My biggest excuse, as is probably for many of you, is that I don't know how to get there. The reality is that not knowing is only an excuse.

I realized that the only thing stopping me from living the life that I want is me. We need to realize that for most of us, we are the reason why we don't reach out for own dreams and desires. Once we realize this, we must move on and then start acting. You need to figure out first how is it that you are made. How is it that God made you. What are the things that bring you joy and happiness, and how can you make an income out of that. Like I mentioned, I love advertising and marketing, but I also want something where I can make a difference in peoples lives. I am very confident in myself but most importantly I am very confident in others. I strongly feel that every one of us is capable of doing great things. The things that we are going be great at are the things that we are passion about. Once we discover that passion there is nothing stopping us but ourselves. If you really think about it, God put that passion in you and He put that passion in you for a reason. So we need start using it.

Through this blog you will see how determination and a passion can make people's ambitions become a reality. I am not where I want to be at right now, but I know that I can get there. This blog is the foundation of being able to reach these goals, and I hope you join me in this journey.

photo credit: a4gpa

What to Expect

2010-03-24T02:15:00.000-07:00

After sharing with you a little bit about me and what this blog is about, I thought I should let you guys (and gals) know what you can expect from this blog. As I was thinking about the purpose of the blog, I realized that I was focusing too much on the blog itself and not focusing enough on what you get out of this blog. So the questions that came to mind where "What value do I give to the reader?" and "Why would they care what I have to say?" So let’s explore this a little more.

When you come to my blog and read one of my posts, I hope you leave thinking the following:

"That was a good read, really interesting, really got me thinking."

“I want to take some action now because of this."

"This blog really helped me improve my life and make a difference in this world."

"I feel really encouraged and motivated to follow God's will."

"I learned something new from this post/blog."

"Wow, Carlos is amazing. I want to find out more about him, he seems like a great guy."

Well maybe not so much on the last one but this is a good start. Now let me break it down with even more detail. These are the things I would like to accomplish:

Realize that we are individuals and God made us all different for a purpose.

Discover more about how we are and how God wants to use us with our everyday lives.

Use our uniqueness that we each have for the greater good.

Realize that there is something in us all that we can give to the world.

Acknowledge that we have influences over other people, so let’s begin using it right.

Stop making excuses and begin leaving the life we were made to live.

Now to answer the original questions, "What value do I give to the reader?" ”Why do they care what I have to say?" The value that I give to you, the reader, is that you get a chance to look at your life and analyze if you are doing everything that you are capable of doing. Are you reaching your full potential? Most importantly are you doing what you were made to do? Are you allowing God to use you for the purpose that He has for you?

I am no expert, and there is a lot that I do not know. But I am not afraid to say things how they are. I know God has a purpose for all of us, and just like I am trying to live that life that God made for me, I hope to encourage you to do the same thing. By sharing things that go through out my life, you can see that you are not the only one going through these things. This can become a community where we encourage each other to become better people and reach the goal of being the man or woman that God called us to be.

The purpose of this blog and its name came from the song "The Way I was Made" written by Chris Tomlin. Parts of the lyrics are below:

Caught in the half-light, I'm caught alone
Waking up to the sunrise and the radio
Feels like I'm tied up, what's holding me?
Just praying today will be the day I go free

I want to live like there's no tomorrow

I want to dance like no one's around
I want to sing like nobody's listening
Before I lay my body down

I want to give like I have plenty
I want to love like I'm not afraid
I want to be the man I was meant to be
I want to be the way I was made

We all have a purpose in our lives and a lot of us will go through out our lives never discovering that purpose. There is something in all of us that makes us who we are or that brings out the best in us. The song in us is something that we are passionate about or is a unique ability that has God's signature.

I want to be able to help people like you to become better people. I hope to accomplish this by the words that I type and/or the interactions that I have with you. I will be able to do this by doing the things I love to do and that is communicating with others, using technology, and using my marketing skills. These areas are my strong points and it is where I can use my abilities the best to reach others. And I hope I can do that through this blog.

So what do you think? Do you like the purpose of this blog? Is there anything else you would like to hear? I would love to hear your thoughts.

photo credit: helgasms!

New Kid in the Block

2010-03-23T02:10:00.000-07:00

Being the new kid in the block is something that I have been used to most of my life. I have moved around from house to house for most of my childhood. Now that I am older, I realize how much fun it was going into a whole new world and entering a whole new adventure. Well at least to me, it was an adventure exploring our new home and my new school. So we fast forward to today, and once again I am the new kid in the block. The only difference this time is that I'm not new in the block but new in the blogging world.

So there you have it, I said it. I'm new to blogging. I might as well not hide this fact and be honest about it right from the get go. Also, this is the first blog that I ever posted. So far I think that I am doing pretty good, but that's really for you to decide. Even though I am new to blogging, that doesn't mean that you should leave this site. I hope that you will at least take a look at the rest of my blog before you make that decision.

You are probably wondering why in the world would I even mention this? People read blogs everyday and would most likely feel more comfortable reading a blog from somebody who has been doing it for years (or at least has some experience). And honestly, I would probably think the same way. So why would I tell you that I am new to blogging? Basically because I wanted to be honest, so that I can earn your respect. But most importantly so that you can see that even though you might be new at something doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing it. In every area of life you had to be new at it at one time. The first time you rode a bike, the first time you played an instrument, the first time you drove, etc. Some of us were naturals while others struggled. This said to point out that even though you are new at something doesn't disqualify you from doing it.

Now that I got that out of the way, I can continue sharing some more with you on this site. If you want to get to know me more, then check out my about page. There you can read more about who Carlos Sandoval is (that's me by the way) and read more on the purpose of this blog. If you want to know even more, there is a page for that too. This post is basically an introductory post for you to get to know me a little bit more and hopefully cause some curiousity to read more of what's in here.

photo credit: emma.kate