Archives For Life

The Passion Button

July 23, 2010 — Leave a comment

A few days ago, my brother-in-law was cleaning out his office and found a preaching cassette dating back to Dec 18, 2005. I was the preacher.

Yesterday I finally popped that old-school cassette into my car’s built-in dashboard cassette player (Yes, I drive a 2002 Accord). If there was one thing that struck me about my early preaching days, I’d say it was the passion with which I preached.

As I reflected upon it for a while I realized a couple of things that we need to keep in check:

  • Passion is a strong emotive word that should be a part of every Christian’s life
  • We must be passionate about our pursuit of God
  • Our passion for (insert noun) _________ (people, ministry, music, etc…) should never be greater than our passion for God
  • We must let nothing else (the flesh) push our passion button but God (and our wives).

How passionate have you been lately? Are you pursuing the right passion?

What us your passionate pursuit? Let me know – I’d love to hear your story!

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Year ONE: Happy Anniversary

June 11, 2010 — Leave a comment
Last weekend Pris and I celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary. After a busy first year, we decided we needed to get away for a relaxing weekend.
2 key factors to our celebration:
  1. Get out of town
  2. Book a couples massage. (Aveda spas are amazing)
Looking back, i realized that months 3-6 were probably the most challenging as that is when we began to have to deal with our different habits and influences – formed from years prior. The challenge, really, is that marriage is two becoming one. So having been through the refining fire (which is a healthy and needed process), We are a better team; a better unit; a better “one”.
Are we perfect? Absolutely not!
Am I still learning how to be a husband? You bet!
Am I loving the process? I’m learning to love the process.
Got any tips for Year TWO?
(a friend already taught me “Happy Wife=Happy Life”)
Kissing the Bride (Knox Chapel – University of Toronto)
my HOT Bride
Posers…
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Take a Step…

May 10, 2010 — Leave a comment


Are you consumed with your current trouble/situation? Does the future seem bleak? Have you lost faith? Have you given up looking for the light at the end of the tunnel? Does life seem unfair? Are you comparing your present failures to the successes of others?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, chances are, your perspective has become too narrow and you’ve been beating your head against your present circumstance(s).

So how do you regain a proper perspective? Take a step…BACK! Often times, when facing an obstacle, we focus our energy and attention on trying to overcome it. When we do this we magnify our problem and push (BIG) God out of the picture. Instead, why don’t we pause and take a step back? When we do this, God is magnified and problems begin to look small compared to how big God is!

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9 NLT

Let’s take a step back. Let’s worship and magnify Him as we go through this! Let’s gain His perspective and trust Him to lead us through!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

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Momma’s Boy

May 9, 2010 — 1 Comment

Today is one of my favourite days!!! Growing up in a Christian Italian home, God spoiled me with my mom’s cooking, her tender love, her gentle spirit, her humble desire to serve God, and her constant teary-eyed prayers.

Even though she left this earth in 2005 after a tragic car accident (and it is hard to celebrate mother’s day when your mom is not around), I am grateful for the legacy that she set before us.

Besides spoiling me as a kid, another amazing part about God is that He knows when to give and when to take away! And even though He called my mom home in 2005, He brought into my life another amazing woman, my wife, Priscilla (and a wonderful mother-in-law in the process)!

So to all the faithful moms and moms-to-be, you are a blessing! Keep mothering us boys – both big and small!
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“You give and take away, You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Blessed be Your name!” – song that we sang at church that Sunday morning, 12 hours before my mother passed away.

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Life’s Pace

March 13, 2010 — 2 Comments

it’s been over a week since I’ve been able to slot in some time to write a blog! Right now i find myself in Starbucks in the heart of downtown Toronto. It’s Pris’ bday and I’ve done my best to be available to her all day …except right now she’s out with the girls for her sister’s bday! (i love you babe)!

You see, this is the kind of week i’ve had:
I’ve been in church the last 4 out of 5 nights. It’s been necessary but a little “too much”, if you know what i mean. I have been trying to keep up with this “pace” this week but it’s been a challenge.

So my question is, how do you balance full-time ministry, family (I’ve been married just over 9 months), and personal time? I realize that sometimes we can’t help it (as was my case this week) but how do we make time?

Irony: “pace” is the italian word for peace

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Mark Twain on “Choices”

February 24, 2010 — Leave a comment

When you choose the behaviour, you choose the consequences
When you choose the thoughts, you choose the consequences
You choose where to be.
You choose how to act.
You choose what to say.
You choose what to do.
You choose whom to be with.
You choose what to concentrate on.
You choose what to believe.
You choose when to go along.
You choose when to resist.
You choose when to trust.
You choose whom and what to avoid.
You choose your reactions.
You choose what to say to yourself about yourself.
We do not deal much in facts when we are contemplating ourselves.
-Mark Twain

What are you choosing to do after you read this last sentence?

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