This letter is being written in full gratitude to express my sincerest appreciation to God, The Source, in providing all my blessings and all the gifts that I presently enjoy in my life and all those treasures that have been savored and experienced in my past.
Yesterday at the ripe old age of 50, Half a Century, I finally awoke to the grace and peace of the Holy Spirit. I have spent a lifetime searching for my core truth. As a youngster not knowing any better I attributed my circumstances to negative conditions based on my families financial status and their inability to understand and identify appropriate needs to lift themselves higher in status. Long story short I am an immigrant from Cuba whose parents fled due to the government position and found ourselves settling in New York City. May I add not only in New York but in the South Bronx. I found myself surviving for a lack of a better word my surrounding conditions, and found myself and everyone that touched my circle in a status of lack and wanting more.
As a young man I was involved in situations that I am not very proud of today.
Street Gangs, violence and much anger and resentment had gradually built up during those years. This anger I found had become my companion for a good part of my existence. The anger had served me well while I survived the streets as a boy but it turned on me when it still drove me as an adult. Circumstance brought me to South Florida and I eventually grew and found my true love and eternal soul mate in my Beautiful wife, Josie. My wife has been many things to many at all times. She was place along my troubled path for a very powerful reason. God sent this living, breathing angel into my life to save me from a dark and very bitter existence. Although when we originally met anger still dominated my presence Josie was clear in her believes and in her knowledge that due to her light and pure love she will endure and raise us both into the light.
Today I live a beautiful life, blessed in the company of a wife that is completely and unconditionally loving. Two incredibly healthy and happy boys, Tommy and Danny.
It has literally taken me half a lifetime to completely understand the presence of GOD and to fully commit to a sincere relationship with my LORD. I have spent countless hours, weeks, years learning and studying the teaching of many inspirational teachers and philosophers. I have developed a strong network with Personal development and self Improvement mentors and Speakers.
I have said all this to simply express this cleansing thought and idea. Through all of my previous and present circumstances and experience, weather perceived as negative or positive they have all brought me full circle to my present action.
Last night with the attendance of 100’s of people I celebrated my 50th Birthday by getting baptized at Flamingo Road Church. This church has been our house of worship for the past 6 years. This has also been the school where our two boys, our most precious gifts, are nourished and thought. As I waited in line for my turn at the Life changing moment of re-birth into Heaven. I couldn’t help thinking and reflecting on how all my experiences and circumstances in life had simply led to this climax. This moment of truth where I, choosing from free-will, decide to accept GOD as my Savior and my Light.
My time arrived and I grab Pastor Troy’s hand and am greeted with a friendly reassuring smile. I am amazed at how warm and relaxing the water feel and I am gently lowered into the water and raised and the historic symbol of new birth. I have left my old ways and old life and am re-born again in the Holy Spirit filled with peace, happiness and grace.
Later that same night we come home as a family and cut the traditional Birthday cake with my immediate family by my side. The cake reads Happy Birthday Papi.
But something special is also written along side which is not often found in many cakes.
Extending vertically from the letter “B” in birthday is the word BAPTISM.
This brings me to the realization that the same way I was there for the birth of my two wonderful boys as Father. My sons at the age of 7 and 9 where present to witness the re-birth of there father into a life with Christ our Lord.
I close by saying that I am filled with gratitude for the friends and families at Flamingo Road. There has never been a moment where any of us have felt anything but belonging and kindness. My family as a whole have been moved to serve in the pre-school ministries and we have been serving now together for several months. It is a pure blessing and miracle to share in the positive energy of young lives to be able to guide them and lead them to a path toward GOD.
Final note I want to take a moment a humbly thank Pastor Troy Grambling,
Whose inspirational presentation and delivery of God’s words every week has touched,
and in many ways moved me and my family to powerful, passionate, purposeful action.
I have included a speech that was referenced in one of the many books that I have read in my search for inner peace.
Sacrifice Play
In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be main streamed into conventional schools.
At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all that attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Jerry?
Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?"
The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that He seeks is in the way people react to this child."
He then told the following story about his son Jerry:
One afternoon Jerry and his father walked past a park where some boys Jerry knew were playing baseball. Jerry asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Jerry's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Jerry's father understood that if his son were chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.
Jerry's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Jerry could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning.
Jerry's father was ecstatic as Jerry smiled broadly. Jerry was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jerry's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Jerry's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base, Jerry was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Jerry bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Jerry was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Jerry didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However, as Jerry stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Jerry should at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in and Jerry swung clumsily and missed. One of Jerry's teammates came up to Jerry and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Jerry.
As the pitch came in, Jerry and his teammate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Jerry would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.
Everyone started yelling, "Jerry, run to first. Run to first!" Never in his life had Jerry run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman that would tag out Jerry, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second."
Jerry ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.
As Jerry reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Jerry rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Jerry run."
Jerry ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."
By: Author Unknown
Pastor Troy:
Thank you for educating me and allowing me to use God’s greatest gift to mankind, FREE-WILL to decide and choose my personal road to salvation and a relationship with GOD.
Thank you for holding the light unto the path and allowing the members of the church to choose PERFECTION…
No comments:
Post a Comment