INSPIRING OUR COMMUNITY TO BE CATALYSTS FOR THE INNER-CITY’S RENAISSANCEINSPIRING OUR COMMUNITY TO BE CATALYSTS FOR THE INNER-CITY’S RENAISSANCE
AT JESUS OF NAZARETH COMPASSION CENTER IN DENVER
8:30 a.m., Saturday, August 14, 2010 www.joncompassionministries.org
General Superintendent Dr. Jerry Porter
Our upcoming Pastors and Leaders Breakfast is happening at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, August 14, 2010 at our facility. Our Nazarene General, Dr. Jerry Porter, will be our keynote speaker and we will show off the kids, their artwork, and hopefully some videos of what they are doing in the soccer camp. The event is free but seating is limited so please send me your RSVPs quickly as I foresee a full house with Dr. Porter as our keynote speaker. Your RSVP may be emailed to me at: Pastorcarranza@netscape.net or phoned in at 303.949.4674. An offering will be collected to raise funds for our compassion ministry, Jesus of Nazareth.
Allow me some personal testimony space. This is not due to lack of stories to share about the ministry as our soccer camp, art classes, Nazarene Thrift store and Spanish services all are going well. I do not share to garner either sympathy or praise. I realize that there are many pastors and people in our Colorado District and brothers and sisters even in my own church that have struggles far greater than my own. I just feel very blessed and grateful to God for His faithfulness and I want to glorify His Name.
Early this summer the ladies in our church had a lunch meeting after Sunday Service. Brother Paco invited my son Joshua and me to go out and eat with himself, his son Francisco and another high school friend Jayro. We were sitting down chatting in the restaurant sipping on our sodas and waiting for the food to arrive when I heard the boys urgently call out to help my son. I looked over at Joshua and he was unconscious, holding on to his coke, and slipping out of his chair. I grabbed him before he could hit the floor and as I held him in my arms I began to pray out loud because I noticed he wasn’t breathing. We moved the table and stretched him out on the floor. I had the boys call 911 as I cradled his colorless face in my hands. To my great relief he began to breath but he was still unconscious. The paramedics arrived incredibly fast and by this time my son was beginning to come to. They ran their procedures, loaded him up in the ambulance and took him to St. Anthony West Hospital where we spent the next 4-5 hours in the emergency room with Josh. They ran every test (urine, blood, x-rays, cat-scan) and did every procedure but they could not find a single thing wrong with him. After about 3 hours my son emerged from his grogginess and we were able to relax. There was no conclusive diagnosis given just the theory offered that a heart murmur can possibly occur in athletes which knocks them out like that.
I am so thankful that God was in charge, that Joshua went right back to normal with jokes about not drinking coke, and that we had friends who spent every minute there with us in the emergency room. It is good to not be alone in a situation like that.
More dangerous than coke are bears. Last week I took my family for a few days to my mom’s cabin in the woods west of Trinidad Colorado. When we pulled into the cabin there was a large brown bear licking the salt lick at the side of the cabin. I have seen bears there before but this was a first for my family. Josh got out and roared at the bear and the bear took off. The excitement in our car was at high decibel level. The next few days were filled with much needed rest, relaxation and deer, wild turkey and another bear sighting. It was a fantastic time away with the family.
But even more dangerous than bears are drivers. On the way back to Denver the traffic on I-25 suddenly came to a halt. We were able to stop no problem but the car behind us pulled over to the side of the road to our left. He performed this maneuver not to avoid us but to give room to the car behind him who was travelling much too fast to stop in time. A black sedan piloted by a young looking kid veered his car to the right, barely missing us, and continued through the lane to our right before skidding of the road. It was a miracle that he didn’t hit someone (like us) or roll his car. It is at moments like those that you know someone is watching over you.
I have been in this situation many times before yet I am always so grateful to God when He pulls through for us. Coming back we knew we needed to pay bills, including our mortage. Well…offerings in the Spanish church are meager and we collected about $250 in our Sunday service. However, there was money that had come in during the week to Jesus of Nazareth and Jackie was able to get paid her administrative fee. When we put the 2 together we were able to pay what had to be paid. But here is where God’s grace goes over and beyond. I had about $60 left over for all other expenses and with three teenagers you can imagine how long that would last. But come Monday morning without any warning my brother John said he was coming over with a $500 King Soopers card!
God is love. Although I have been Senior Pastor working in the inner city for some 12 years I feel that I am just beginning to believe that God will always provide for my family and me. It is beautiful to really let down your burdens and believe God for his unfailing love. After many years of practice and much near despair we are finally learning to trust. Glory be to the King of Kings, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Please pray for:
1. Our upcoming Pastors and Leaders Breakfast on Saturday August 14, 2010 to be well attended. Let me know if you would be able to help sponsor Dr. Porters trip out.
2. The soccer tournament (August 9 & 11) at the end of our camp to be well planned and executed with lots of volunteers and kids’ teams both.
3. God’s continued provision and protection for my family. The transmission in our jeep went out. Pray that we can raise about $500 for a rebuilt transmission.