The amount of visitors who came to Community Church of the Hills (CCH)‘ Easter service as a result of two weeks of Facebook ads. Same as last year. Heck, I even bought an eBook telling me how to write excellent Facebook ads. However, we did have record attendance for this year thanks to family members
I’m re-posting this article from September 13, 2014, originally called, “My Strange Dream,” because today, I realized, the dream came true. See the postscript at the bottom of the post.
I have a new Pentecostal friend who has proven to me that he walks with the Lord.
I met Amalio a few weeks ago when I was searching for a contractor to help put in new flooring in our church building due to a flood from a neighboring business. Also, I needed some minor remodeling done.
The first contractor I met gave me a quote of $12,000.00, a bit more than I could afford. The second man surveyed the space, wrote down some figures but never got back to me. The third also had a quote that was too high.
I did not know what to do so I called a former congregant who was a handyman and he suggested Amalio. When I met him he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: He would provide me with two days’ free labor if I purchased the materials at Home Depot.
DEAL!
“But why would you do this, Amalio, you don’t even know me!”
He looked at the walls of Hope Chapel Hill Country, smiled, and said, “It’s for God’s Kingdom!”
“Let me pay you, though; what is your daily rate?”
“No, I can’t,” Amalio insisted, “I believe God wants me to do this for free.”
I preached my first sermon at Community Church of the Hills one year ago last Sunday, July 10, 2015.
Never, in a million years did I ever expect to be pastoring a church in the middle of Texas, especially since I’m a native born—ahem—guy from the west coast, from the second largest city in America. (Is that vague enough?)
Oh, but what a wonderful change!
I didn’t move to Texas like other Californians because of huge profits from the sale of their homes and getting double—triple—the value in the Lone Star State. I didn’t move as some sort of left-wing conspiracy to change the political climate of this Red State (I’m a conservative). I didn’t even move here as a protest against the Golden State and its strange brew of crazy, nonsensical, burdensome, ridiculous tax and social laws.
No, I came for one reason and one reason only: God called me.
I didn’t hear any voices, no angel trumpeted from Heaven nor did a lightning bolt strike a special place in my Bible. A series of circumstances aligned themselves together to cause me to pray about uprooting my family, leaving a church where I had been an associate pastor for fifteen years, abandoning a pension that I would receive in just five years, and, of course, saying goodbye to everything familiar, including family and friends.
ON THIS DAY…from 2013 to 2017!
FACEBOOK HAS AN APP called “On This Day” which shows you what you posted on this day, one year, three years, however many years ago it was.
June 28th is kinda special to me. How so? Take a look at what happened today:
After being finger-printed, having my driver’s record checked for the past five years, enduring a physical exam upon my person (including going to the restroom with a little cup), taking five written tests, a 20 hour certification course, memorizing every part of the bus including the engine components, exhaust system, air brakes etc., and two months of driver’s training…I passed my school bus driving test! What? A school bus driver? Yes. And in Dripping Springs of all places, the city where I first planted a church after leaving Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach nearly four years ago.
Circumstances have arisen where I have to take a 2nd job in addition to pastoring my current church, launching my eldest daughter to Baylor U., and taking care of my family. (Someone asked me what I’m doing for the summer. I laughed.)
Now, see what has happened on this day over the last four years.
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