O Praise Him! All creatures of our God and king.

July 13th was our first "preview" service and we had an awesome turnout of about 125 people. We contracted a company (Church on Wheels) to help us transform our worship space from a high school cafeteria into an attractive sanctuary. We rolled in our 24 foot trailer and our team of about 25 people went to work. Piece by piece it came together. Black curtains all around, two large screens (one on each side of the stage), children's program ready to receive kids, coffee cart brewing... God's presence was there. For the most part it went the way we planned, but even with minor difficulties, people said they felt God moving. 4 people made a commitment to follow Christ. We realize that salvation is all God's work and that He chooses to use us, those who are weak, broken, but willing, to promote His kingdom. Pray for continued favor in the eyes of those who live in our target area. Join us in changing the world for His glory. -Pastor Tony

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain...

God is so good. You've heard all the stories of how God did this, then did that, and you're blown away by His mercy, grace, and love. But now in our world of explaining away coincidences, we end up stealing His glory. God still moves today. As we're planting River's Edge Church, God has blessed us every step of the way. We realize that it's not about us, it's about Him and His desire to reach a broken lost world with His message of salvation and hope for real life here and now. I was reminded recently of when I was first raised to new life in Christ and how I "saw" God's leading quite vividly. It was as I read a book titled "Save me from myself" an autobiography by Brian "Head" Welch. Head was a rock star in every sense of the word (phrase). God, though, had put His hand on him early on. We believe in a God that loves us first in our filth and rebellion, but it's God who reaches out to stir in us faith to believe in Himself. Head explains that as God was calling him back, he noticed coincidences that could not be explained. Scripture verses repeated here and there, people coming into his life that otherwise he would not have associated with. God still works through all of these things. This week look for God's coincidences and wonder what He's trying to teach you. Be blown away by His creation, His perfect love, our Redeemer, His perfect sacrifice for us. -Tony

...like a tree firmly planted by streams of water. -Psalm 1

Momentum is building. God's church is way bigger than any one of us and it's a beautiful thing to feel so unworthy and yet know that you're called to do what you're doing. "Beautiful" because even with our flaws God uses His people to show His glory. My heart has always been for those far from God, and especially for those in the El Paso/Juarez region, so we're excited to see it beginning to take shape. Pray for us as we travel to gather partners who will help establish River's Edge Church. May the LORD, who can do immeasurably more than you could ever hope or imagine, bless your life for His glory.

The earth is the LORD's and everything in it...

So we're frantically working towards launching River's Edge Church which will have it's first preview service on July 13th. It's a fairly new way of planting churches. Purpose Driven Planting (PDP) has done all the work that I had been struggling with. It's as if they read my mind, filtered all of my ADD out and out comes a masterpiece. It looks great on paper, now all we need is for God to bless this work. At first there was a lot of pressure on our shoulders (my wife Charissa and me), but we came to the realization that we can do nothing without God being the center. It all depends on His will. Whether we have a large turnout or not, it's all in His hands, He just calls us to do our best. We're all blessed with different gifts so we'll put them to use to glorify God in the El Paso/Juarez region. May you be transformed by Christ's gift of eternal life to you, let it change your thinking, your circumstances, and your view of the world. Everything that is, exists for His glory.