Turn on your lights

                                                                           Turn on your lights

 

I have exactly one month left to train at The Fight House gym before it closes. I am 54 years old and I am never going to fight again but I like where I am physically. I am doing things in the boxing gym now that I haven’t been able to do since I was training with Paul Vaden at the Boxing Club in San Diego back in 1998. I am consistently creating an angle after throwing my straight right hand and my left hook. I am doubling up on my left hook like I haven’t done since 1994. That is over 20 years ago.

One of my Pastor’s, Eli Lara, replied to my blog post yesterday when I wrote about The Fight House Gym closing it’s doors. He is looking for a building to hold church services. I got excited because it is right down the street from where I live.  I could hold F3 workouts which is a Christian based workout men’s group and lead a Trail Life but the building doesn’t have A/C, it is infested with rats and the owners don’t have money to put into the building. They are even behind on their property taxes. If someone had the money, they could steal the property by just paying up the property taxes but there is a lot of work that needs to be done. It is in a good location as the area is growing like crazy. There is a new housing development right across the street and if looks like either another housing development or a commercial center going up kitty corner to the building.

We went to bible study at New Life Church with Eli Lara last night. There were all of the people I first met when Janice and I got together and married. They had about 70 people attending. They are trying to create something, like a lot of churches. I really do not understand how these pastors strategize growing their ministries. I was witness to three churches in San Diego California who had rapid growth. Two of them had similar strategies; they used the talent of their flock, music and theatrical. They put on plays and concerts. They asked for donations and they grew fast. The other church had a very charismatic Pastor but his congregation did an excellent job of promoting him and inviting people to their church and that became The Rock Church in Point Loma which is the church my wife Janice used to go to in San Diego, California.  

My wife Janice is amazing. She has a heart that is so inviting. I have to check myself because everyone wants her attention. She has a heart for young girls and actually does everything to guide them onto the right path in life. She put together a curriculum and taught four classes every week at a middle school in the Valley. They put together leaders, both the good leaders and the bad leaders. Both Janice and the Principal didn’t distinguish who the good ones or the bad ones were, just that they were leaders. She wrote out a whole course with lesson plans and got busy with these kids. The superintendent wanted her to teach at four of his middle schools in the valley but it went to committee and when the school year started. The proposal is under review. What she is really good at doing is paying attention to people. It is a shame that not everyone returns the courtesy. She is a certified trainer for the John Maxwell Team and she knows how to use the John Maxwell resources well. Then she brings her own style to the party. People gravitate to her. They trust her and tell her all of their concerns and she listens. She is honest and then offers suggestions; sometimes things they might not want to hear but because it is coming from her, they accept it.

As I am writing this, I am thinking about the Pastors I know who have a similar message, such as Elias Flores. He is extremely knowledgeable about the scriptures and very passionate. I believe that he is one of those pastors like Miles McPherson at the Rock Church. Everyone should be promoting him and his dynamic style of preaching. Eli Lara is much the same way. So heart felt in his message. John Jaramillo from New Hope in Weslaco is one of those very cerebral Pastors who has an in depth understanding of the scriptures but also taps into the Holy Spirit too.

Just like my wife Janice Wright. There are a few people who understand what she brings, like Bridgett Krause, another leader of the John Maxwell team here in the Rio Grande Valley who are heavily dependent upon Janice’s talents and wisdom. The world needs what she has. All of these Pastors are tapped into the same source and when you hear them, you can tell. They all just need to be promoted the right way.

I remember seeing Joel Osteen at the San Diego Sports Arena, now the Valley View Arena. The place was packed and they had pastors from the area get up and speak. One of which was Bishop George Dallas McKinney from St. Stephens Episcopal Church in South San Diego. It is a little church but Pastor Stephens is well known. He is best friends with TD Jakes. They grew up together. He was honored and you could see the respect, not just from Joel Osteen but the other Pastors and Ministers on stage.

I am not suggesting that we bring in Joel Osteen or TD Jakes to the Toro’s new stadium or State Farm Arena but put together an event where these dynamic ministers can be heard and bring God’s word and edify each other. There are so many out there who are lost and not getting fed, people need to know not only that the spirit of God is here in the Rio Grande Valley but that they aren’t alone.

That is what happens, people accept the Holy Spirit and then they wander around thinking that they are all by themselves. Not realizing that there are other believers all around them, wandering around thinking that they are all alone, not realizing that there are other believers all around them who think it’s just them against the world too. We all pass each other in our own quiet tunnel, thinking we have to do it by ourselves. We are the light. We just need to turn it on.