Christmas, in its truest form

Hello. I am writing to say that this Christmas for me is going to be one of the most memorable that I have ever had. I got a majority of my presents before Dec. 25th, and I am overwhelmed by emotion; however, this is a good thing because for the first time in recent memory, I am in amazement at how God can do what He is doing in my life through the example set by His Son, Jesus Christ. I realize what it means to not only go the 2nd mile for others, but to appreciate others going the second mile for me. I am in love with Jesus Christ this Christmas season and I hope and pray to carry that on into 2009. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Technology

Hey there. I'm beginning to embrace 21st century technology now. With a digital camera, my own access to the Internet and everything. Life is good.

The Heart of Worship

Hello again. I was totally amazed that I can worship God and feel connected to Him. The key for me is to do it on a consistent basis. My church is going to two different worship formats, but with one goal in mind, being connected to our Heavenly Father. I'm excited about this because as I have grown in my faith, I realize that my worship time, both privately and corporately, has been more real and more intimate, the way God intended us to connect with Him. I'm going to attend the second worship service which is more of an expressive time of praise and worship. And it's all based on Scripture. If anything else, worship time is not about us, it's about Jesus Christ. Out.

Home

Hello again. Remember the old adage, "You don't know what you have until it's gone"? Well, that kind of describes what happened when I went to my connection group's Christmas party last night. I felt like I was finally at home for the first time in two months. I got to lead worship once again and I really felt connected to God. The focus was on Jesus and the songs that I selected last night reflected that despite the fact I did not have time to choose any Christmas songs. We also got a chance to see a scene from the Nativity Story. It's a must watch for any Christian regardless of the season. When I saw that clip, I really began to appreciate what God gave me years ago when I became a Christian. The gift of eternal life. I am now more focused than ever on sharing that gift with the rest of the world. I felt like I was at home there and I can't wait until our CG meets again in the new year(Jan. 4th to be exact). I love Christmas, but more importantly, I love Jesus! He is the reason for the season.

Surviving Ike...and Thriving

Hello everyone. I have been dealing with a lot since Hurricane Ike hit Houston in September. I lost my job, I've had financial problems and I've been having problems communicating with my family. And to top it all off. I had a car break down. So without transportation, I was basically losing my sanity. Now, things are getting better, I have a new van, and things are looking up. I'm still looking for a job, but I'm very optimistic. Thanks to those who have been praying for me and everything. Peace.

Stormy times

Hello everyone. Ever since Ike hit town, things have been tough for me. I'll be going into greater detail in a future blog. Peace out.

MIA

Hey there. I apologize for not blogging lately. It's been kind of hard to do that since hurricane Ike decided to leave his calling card on Houston. I'll be back in cyberspace soon. Peace.

Olympic withdrawals

Yes. I'll admit it. I'm going through some Olympics withdrawals even though the games of the XXIX Olympiad ended on Sunday. I've been looking all over the Internet and I realize that the games are over. TV schedules are back to normal programming and life goes on. I'm not a real big fan of the winter Olympics, but I can get my fix in a couple of years. 2012 is going to be interesting because of the British flair that the Olympics will have(the games of the 30TH Olympiad will take place in London, England). Enjoy the withdrawals in the meantime.

Being the Church

Yesterday, August 24th, our congregation became the church and served numerous families throughout northwest Harris County, TX. The team I was on served one family whose husband had a stroke and cannot do much since being confined to a wheelchair, and the wife is just getting overwhelmed by everything else that life has thrown at her. They are so sweet and they've already asked our team if they could come by once a month. I already told our team leader, if she asks, please put me down. It's easy when it comes to going to church, but I'm glad at least for one day, we get to be the church.

Weekends

Well. I had my girlfriend, Tasha Nicole Braggs come down this past weekend and it turned out to be very good despite the bad weather. I'm just amazed how God can turn things around for good. I don't know how He does it, but I'm not complaining. Peace.

Home Away from Home

Well, here is a pretty good adventure for me. I get to stay at my brother's crib for a few days while he is out of town getting a little R&R(I can't blame him). I'm going to have to adjust to sleeping in another bed besides mine for a few days, but I'll manage. Besides, someone has to make sure that my nieces don't tear up the joint(LOL). This will be very interesting to say the least. Peace.

Flying Solo

Have you ever felt strange because you have been so used to bringing someone to church that when you don't have to bring them on a weekend you feel weird? That is the case with me this weekend. My nieces, Jennifer and Meagan, are spending this weekend with their mother and so I'm flying solo to church this weekend. I kind of don't know how to act, but I'll enjoy it because it may be a while before I have to fly solo again. Then again, God is my pilot, so I am not technically flying solo, but you get the idea. Peace out.

speechless

I guess God knew what He was doing when he made us. If you have ever felt so good about life, that you could not talk, then you know it's a God thing.

Spiritual leadership

Hello there. I was first told about this opportunity to bring my nieces to church with me about four or five years ago, and I'll admit, I was excited and scared at the same time because I did not know what it means to be a spiritual leader in my family, but God worked it out where all three of the little angels are excited about coming to church. One of them was baptized into Christ on 6/22/08. Now comes the real work. Praying that God will protect Jennifer from all of the darts that Satan loves to throw at new converts. Peace out and God bless!

Isolation, Solitude, and Surrender

Hello again. I apologize for not blogging you all sooner. I've had an adventuresome couple of months to say the least. I've had some personal problems to deal with plus I have been in isolation for a while because I feared that if people really knew what was going on with me, I would feel vulnerable to being hurt, judged, etc. I now realized that I need to be more dependent on God than ever. I also realized that I have people in my life that love me, care for me and are willing to listen to me if I just take a chance and let Christ guide the way. i have prayed for God's forgiveness when I leave Him because I know for a fact He has not left me. I also had a chance to reflect on the quiet time that I am spending with God now and it's not easy, but I keep doing it. I need your prayers because I can to a certain extent overextend myself when it comes to serving in the Lord's church. I pray that God will give me the wisdom to know when to say no to some things. I want to surrender to His authority in all phases of my life. Peace.

IFEST--revisited

Hello again. One day at the Houston International Festival was not enough for me. So this past Saturday evening(April 26th), I made the journey to the continent of Africa without leaving Houston, TX. I got the chance to see some living history exhibits on site from the Buffalo Soldiers to life in the era of the Jim Crow Laws(do a Google search to learn more about both). I also got to see some arts and crafts from each nation of the continent. The highlight of the evening was when the Neville brothers performed on the World stage. The sang a lot of classic songs that were around before I was born, but were still good. the best song they performed was "Amazing Grace" at the end, followed by "One Love, One World". If those songs did not bring glory to God, I don't know which ones did. To learn more about the International festival, visit www.ifest.org.

Culture Texas Style

Hello again all you happy people in cyberspace. I had the opportunity to attend the Houston International Festival last weekend for the first time ever. I enjoyed it so much, that I might go back next weekend for an encore. This year's theme was a salute to the continent of Africa. If you want to know more about the I-Fest, visit www.ifest.org. This without a doubt is a must see for those of you that want a little culture in your life without breaking the bank.

MS 150 2008

Hello again. Another rite of Spring has come and gone for me and that is the BP MS 150 Bike tour from Houston to Austin, TX. Our team, Traveling Light Christian cycling Team(www.tlsports.org) once again represented Jesus Christ as nearly thirty riders made the 180 mile trek to Austin. For more info. about Traveling Light, see link above.

LTC

Hello there. I apologize for not blogging in a while. I was once again privileged to coach a drama team from my church to participate in Leadership Training for Christ(LTC) and once again our teams did great. Team 1 received silver and team 2 received gold. To God be the Glory!

Soul Link

Hello again. I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I just have a lot on my plate. I went to a youth conference called Soul Link last weekend, at it was unbelievable. The speakers, the praise and worship and the concerts were just "off the hook!"

Connections

I did not know that being a member of church can give you more connections than a cell phone or high speed internet access. I am involved in a small group(a.k.a. a connection group) at my home church, Bammel Church of Christ in Houston, TX and I am really enjoying what it means to be in a community of Christian believers. The group that I am in is really close and is really a blessing to me and we are a blessing to others around us. It would take me all day to tell you about the number of blessings that I have receieved and blessings that I have given to others, but to make a long story short, Connection groups are a way to connect to God and to others. I'll admit, when the elders of my church introduced the idea of connection groups back in 2000, I thought the leadership had lost their minds. I thought this is no way to get people involved. But, after having an open mind and heart, I decided to try out this idea. Eight years later, I am a huge advocate for connection/small groups. My church is big and it's hard to get to know between 1,000 and 1,500 people every week without getting "lost in the shuffle." At Bammel, I'm more than just a number or a pew person, I am a member, and to quote phrase from a TV commerical, "Membership has its privilages. " If you attend a church, whether large or small, and your not involved in a small/connection group, I encourage you to be in one. If your c hurch does not have a small group ministry, ask your ministerial staff to prayerfully consider starting one. You'll have connections that go far beyond 21st century technology. Connections mean everything in our Christian walk and for me and the others in my group, I love to feel connected. That's all I have for now. peace Out!

A GIANT Win

Hello again everyone. I just witnessed what some would call the upset of the millenium when the New York Giants beat the New Engalnd Patriots 17-14. It just goes to show that anything can happen in a given game no matter what the sport. Peace.

History

Hello agian. Well, it's February, and that means it's Black History Month. Keep in mind that Black history is more than just a month, it's American History. I proud to be an American who is black, and I'm also excited about the possibility of having the first African American to be elected President of the United States of America, but we have to wait at least nine more months for that to happen. So as you hear about the tremendous contributions of people such as The Tuskege Airmen, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. et.al., remember life would not be as great for all of us without those contributions. peace.

Kevin

Trekking along

Hello again everyone. I am starting a new pasttime courtesy of some friends. I am watching Star Trek Deep Sapce Nine every Tuesday night with some friends. I guess it's good becasue I am not a sci-fi fan per se, but this is a good way to get out of my comfort zone a little bit. I say this because I usually am channel surfing between the Biggest Loser: Couples and Ameircan Idol, but thank goodness for the internet, I can catch up on it later. I was quite impressed and I guess I'll have a deeper appreciation on what it's like to be a Trekkie. Peace.

21st Century Technology

It's amazing how new technology changes about every thirty seconds. One minute and I-pod or I-Phone comes out, the next minute, it's something else. I finally joined the 21st century with a purchase of a cell phone over the weekend, and I'm still trying to feel my way through this so please ease up off of the caveman jokes when it comes to embracing new technology for a while, O.k. I'm liking the cell phone, now if I can just get this text messaging thing figured out. peace out!

My thoughts about Louie Welch

Louie Welch, or Louie, Louie as I called him sometimes, was a former mayor of Houston, TX from 1963-1974. He passed away on 1/27/08 after battling lung cancer at the young age of 89. My memories of Louie Welch were those of playing around and having him "beat me up"(not literally of course, but you get the picture). I'm going to miss that, plus I'm also going to miss the fact that he cared about those who were less fortunate than others. Heaven gained a new "elected official". Peace out.

Mentorship

Hey there. I did not know what it is to be a mentor, but I had a situation come up in my lap. I am mentoring a student in 5th grade. This student is in the Cy-Fair School district in northwest Houston. I'm not only helping her out, but I'm beginning to bond with her like a big brother. January is National Mentoring Month and if you need more info on how to be a mentor just Google the word mentor. Peace.

Humble Pie(The Good Kind)

Hello there. I never knew that humble pie can be a good thing(sorry about the Martha Stewart reference). Yesterday, Jan. 13th, was a prime example of that. During our morning worship assembly at Bammel Church of Christ, our connecting minister, Michael Montalvo, mentioned my six-year-old niece, Mary. I actually turned red blushing(for those of you that were there, you couldn't see it, but it happened). I was floored to say the least, but someone in my connection group mentioned that God is planting seeds for even the littlest of those who love Him. I'm amazed at how God does what he does. I don't view myself as anyone better than anyone else. i just do my thing, and the rest is history. I'm beginning to like the blushing part, even if you can't see it. Peace.

Welcome to 2008

Hello there. 2008 is here and I hope all of you have a good one.