Beloved, I will be out of pocket for a couple of weeks, after having undergone total knee replacement surgery on my left knee the morning of May 25th. Pastor Jimmy Rosas will be teaching for me this Sunday and Pastor Joel Hernandez will teach for me Sunday, June 5th. I hope to return to the pulpit on Sunday June 12 with a message from Acts 5.
Please continue to pray for the families and loved ones of Uvalde, TX. We are devastated over their loss. We know that we have an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy but he will not win. In the end Jesus will make everything right. Yet, please lift those families and that community in your prayers and hug your children a little tighter!
Speaking of children- we need your help with Children’s Ministry- we need more teachers and assistants. Please step up and do what you can. We also can use your assistance with VBS. Your children are precious and deserve our best.
Please pray for my recovery, that it goes quick, and that I adhere to the process!
Sheila and I love you and I look forward to being with you all soon!
 
Love- 
Pastor Joe

Beloved, the early church was faced with many difficult struggles and issues. They were faced with the threats of the Sanhedrin, the persecution from fellow Jews and the loss of income, yet they held together. They held together because they were united. Their unity stemmed from focusing on those priorities Jesus had left them: (1) selflessly loving each other and (2) reaching the lost world.

They practiced love through the selfless giving of one’s goods to each other. What they had was not “mine” and “yours” but “ours.” They placed God first, people second, and material things a distant third.

The early church also continued to reach out to the Lost. Acts 4:33 says, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.”

The early church had their priorities in order as they committed their lives to Christ and one another. They fulfilled what Jesus had said in John 13:34-35- “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” May we do the same!

​Beloved, we live in a day and age where the freedom to proclaim the Gospel is met with outrage and dissent. It is because of this that we need the boldness that comes from being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes, this boldness to proclaim the Gospel brings trouble. A W Tozer once remarked, "To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.”

Sometimes this boldness brings pain and torture. Tradition records that at the Nicene Council, not more than a dozen of the 318 delegates had not lost an eye or a hand or did not limp upon a leg shrunk in its sinews by the burning iron of torture.
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Beloved, may we never fear speaking the truth in love!

​Beloved, there are many different types of callings in this world. God calls some to be lawyers and others doctors and others teachers. God calls some to be evangelists and others pastors and others bus drivers. But I do not believe that there is a greater calling than that of a mother. If God has called you to be a mom, it is a special calling indeed!
A Mom will love you when the entire world hates you! A Mom will believe in you when everyone else thinks you stink. And a mom will care for you in your deepest darkest times with love and care and compassion.
Today we’ll look at a young lady called to be a mom and ever more than that, called to be Jesus’ Mom. Mary certainly had a unique call on her life, and she fulfilled it very well. You also have a unique call on your life and God will fulfill it as you trust in Him!
By the way- Happy Mother’s Day!

​Beloved, the word, “unashamed”
means, “feeling or showing no
remorse, shame, or embarrassment.”
Are you unashamed of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul said
in Romans 1:16-17, “I am not
ashamed of the gospel, because it is
the power of God for the salvation of
everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile.  17 For in the
gospel a righteousness from God is
revealed, a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is
written: “The righteous will live by
faith.”
Beloved, there is a world around us
who desperately needs the love of
Jesus Christ. May we be as
unashamed of the Gospel as much as
Peter and John were unashamed of
the Gospel!
Blessings,
Pastor Joe