J-Rivz

Camp Info!!!

Directions to the Ranch:

 

From Tulsa: Hwy 75 north to the Hwy 20 (Skiatook) exit. 

 

Go west (left) 4 miles into Skiatook.  Continue on Hwy 20 all the way through Skiatook (you'll pass McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Mazzio's). 

 

1 mile west of Skiatook, you'll see a flashing yellow light.  On the corners are Way-Low Fireworks and the Osage Smoke Shop.  Go north (right) at the light. 

 

Shepherd's Fold Ranch is 8 miles down this road.  You will see our sign on the left as you come down a big hill.  Call 918-263-3622 if you need assistance.

 

If you have any other questions please call the church at (918)259-9080.. I cant wait to get to Camp!!!

Youth Camp!!!

I am Really getting Excited about Camp... Here is a Little Taste of whats to come!

Dare To Be A Daniel

So the quality of this video is not great, but since i am sharing about daniel today i thought i would share a video of my favorite Daniel Song being sung by my Favorite Singer of Daniel Songs... Enjoy!

Daniel and the Dudes

The Story of Daniel is one of my favorite stories in the entire Old Testament. There are several reasons for this; first of all the story is set at such an exciting part of World History that it is a real fun read. In the middle of the book you see the fall of the Babylonian Empire and the Rise of the Meads and Persians. Daniel Finds Himself Right in the Middle of Both Empires, So Cool. Of Course in the book of Daniel there are the accounts of the interpretation of dreams, the Dudes in the Fiery Furnace, and the old Sunday School Standby Daniel and the Lions Den. All of these are great, but the real reason I love the book of Daniel is something that on the surface is not quite as exciting.

What catches my eye when reading these stories is the absolute trust that Daniel and The Dudes had in God. When you look at there situation they really had no physical reason to believe that the God of Israel existed, let alone to Trust Him. At a young age the Babylonian empire came and defeated Judah, took sacred Items from the Temple, and Daniel and the Dudes where taken from there home land and sent on the long journey to Babylon. Despite all this, it is apparent that Daniel and the Dudes never lost their faith in God. They would not eat the food, would not bow down, and would not stop praying to the one true God. The Trust in God that they showed made me ask the question “Why?”

Why did they Trust? What do you need to Trust God in that capacity? While contemplating this I had a thought, what do I need to trust an individual? I came up with this answer, Relationship. Without a relationship there is little or no trust. I realized this, the deeper the Relationship the deeper the Trust. What a Relationship Daniel and the Dudes must have had with God. It made me think of one Thing that I have that they did not. Jesus. I have the ability to have an even more intimate relationship with God threw His Son Jesus. Daniel and the Dudes had an amazing relationship and level of trust that is hard to imagine and they did it all under the pretenses of Old Testament Law. If they can Trust like that with all the division that comes under the Law, How much more so should I trust and develop a relationship with God threw His Grace? It’s Worth Thinking about.  

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day! It Is really a shame that we only have one day to make extra special for mother. Considering all they do, it probally should be mothers month.. But I guess a day is better than nothing. I would just like to say that I have been blessed with the best mom anyone could ask for. She still to this day goes above and beyond for me an my family.. Love you mom... And to Vivi from Diego... Te A Mo!!!! Tu eres el mejor mamá en el mundo! Muchas gracias por todo tu amor... Besos... Chao...

New TV's

Today, among other things, I worked on installing the New TV's for the youth facility, and man let me just say it looks great.. So much better then I thought it would look. All I have left to do is finish making the cords look good and we are go for dual TV's. I'll post some pics when it is all done.

Friends

It is so good to have friends.. If you are somone who has no friends, I suggest getting some :) last night I got to hang out with some friends who were visiting from out of state, and today I bumped into a friend that is visiting from out of the country. On both occasions I had a great time catching up and setting up a time where we can hang out more. Having friends is a great.

Good times

After a busy Easter weekend my family and I are taking some time to relax. There is nothing better than spending a day with the family. For me the more crazy my scheduale the more I love spending time with my family and friends. I often think that God feels the same way in my relationship with Him. He is a busy guy, but the more people that are on this earth, and the more things he has to do, the more he tresures time with his son.

Good Day

Ahh… What a Great day. You ever have one of those days that just seem to be “good”? No reason in particular, in fact it was not even like a lot of good stuff happened. It was just a good day. I woke up to a beautiful wife and a very happy Diego, which instantly put me in a good mood. Then the rest of the day just kept on being “good”. In the morning I was able to get a good outline done for my sermon tomorrow, and was able to read some interesting internet posts regarding Gods grace. The most interesting part of my day was when I got to have a lunch interview with a government official regarding a background check for a friend of mine who is working for Boeing and needs national security clearance to do his job. It was fun, I was answering all his questions and I just kept thinking of the show “Lie to Me”. I thought what if he does not believe me? What if I move too much and this agent thinks I am lying? I wasn’t but what if my Body language gave off a false positive?  Only time will tell, and if my friend does not get the clearance it is not my fault. After that I shot a video announcement, and had a meeting about summer camp (which will be awesome). Then I got to go home and spend time with Diego while Vivi went and got a pedicure. From there I headed off to three band practices in a row. After that Home!  Long day, but it has been great, no real point in this daily recap other than to say that God is Faithful and full of grace and He can make even a long drawn out day fun and interesting. It was a good day, good enough i even updated my blog.      

Take the Time to Look

 

Tuesday night we had a big Thunder storm here in Tulsa. Diego, Vivi, And I were playing with Diego’s toys on the floor, when I discovered a new fun game for Diego and I to play. It happened like this: I was drinking a bottle of water, and after I finished a drink, I put the lid back on, and set it on the floor. After I had set it on the floor, Diego came up and knocked it over, so I set it back up, but he knocked it back down. I realized that he thought it was a game, so game on. For the next 25 minutes I was setting the water bottle on the floor and trying to stop Diego from knocking it over. He was so cute! He would do whatever he could to try and knock that water bottle over. If I held his hands he would use his feet, if I blocked one direction, he would go around the back. We played until bed time, and needless to say between the sound of the rain, and the exhaustion of the game he slept well that night. After putting Diego to bed I sat on the couch reflecting on how fun it was to play that simple game with Diego, and I wondered, “What other simple things am I taking for granted?” Take the time to look for the simple pleasures in life. You might be surprised by the fun entertainment that can be found in a half full (or empty depending who you are) water bottle.