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22NOV
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Easter Message from Pastor Jose – April 7, 2012 (Atlantic Union Adventist Youth Ministries)
| by: AUYouth
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For now, as we wait for that Beautiful Morning, love Jesus, love your family, love your church, love your neighborhood, love your city, & love your world. 
Adventist Youth Ministries of the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists | 400 Main St | South Lancaster | MA | 01561
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8APR
“What Can I Sing?”
written January 26, 2011
After almost four decades of following Jesus and being in church I have found that just about anywhere I go, since my childhood to this day, there are issues with singing. One of the biggest issues is: “what can we sing?” Some in the Church have a problem with singing certain music. I have heard people say, “Pastor we should only sing from the hymnal.” Does that expression sound familiar? Others complain about the new music. So what can we sing?
Sing something that blesses God and that blesses you. I love the hymnal and I grew up singing from two different hymn books: the Himnario Adventista and the Adventist Hymnal. Up to this day my favorite song is Mas Alla del Sol (Way Beyond the Sun, in the Spanish Adventist Hymn Book) and it is my kids favorite song, both can sing it by heart. As I look through our Adventist Hymnal I see there are hymns from the XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, & XX Century and I love singing those hymns. The latest hymn in the Adventist Hymnal is Because He Lives written in 1971 by the Gaithers, that’s a year before I was born. The latest hymn written by an Adventist in the hymnal is “We Have This Hope” (1962), exactly ten years before I was born, and almost 50 years ago.
When I see this I wonder, did the Holy Spirit die with Wayne Hooper? Did the Holy Spirit stop inspiring Christian composers in 1971? The answer is NO. The Holy Spirit is still alive today, the Holy Spirit still inspires Christian writers today. Of course, the Hymns of the XXI century sound different because we are longer in the XVI century, we are in the XXI century. One thing you can be sure, the same Holy Spirit who inspired people before this century, still inspires people to compose for God today. The classic hymns of today are the contemporary Christian Songs of the XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, & XX century. If the world lasts much more, one day, our contemporary hymns of the XXI century will be regarded as the classics. So what do we sing? Sing a song or a hymn, whether from the XVI century or the XXI Century that blesses God and that blesses you, but please do Sing.
So, you would ask, is it OK to sing new Christian songs?
“Praise the LORD.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.” (Psalm 149:1)
The Bible encourages us many times to sing a New Song while it does not condemn the singing of an Old Song. After the Second Coming of Jesus, in heaven, I would like to sing some of our classic hymns. We’ll get to sing some new songs, which are not in the hymnal, like the Living Creatures and the Twenty-four Elders (Revelation 5:9). Can you imagine when we start singing the Song of Moses and the Lamb right on the Sea of Glass (Revelation 15:2-4)?
So what can we sing? If you like old hymns, sing; if you like new hymns, sing. If you like hymns, sing; if you like Psalms, sing, if you like Spiritual songs, sing; if you like Wayne Hooper, sing, if you like the Gaithers sing, if you like Michael W. Smith, sing; if like Kirk Franklin, sing; Israel Houghton, sing; Darlene Zschech, sing; but above all things if you love God sing; but please don’t sit there acting pious and criticizing everybody else who is singing. Sing because God inhabits the Praise of His People!
Prayer: God, I am so grateful because you inhabit the praise of your people. Thank you for the old classic hymns and for the new contemporary hymns, thanks for you have given every generation a voice and the Holy Spirit has given every age a tune and a rhythm to praise YOU. More than anything, thank you because even in heaven we will sing and praise you for what you are doing and will continue to do. Today, I praise you God. AMEN
Jose
16FEB
¿Qué puedo cantar?
escrito en Enero 25, 2011
Después de casi cuatro décadas de seguir a Jesús y estar en la iglesia he encontrado que en cualquier lugar que vaya, desde mi niñez hasta el día de hoy, hay problemas con el canto. Uno de los mayores problemas es: “¿qué podemos cantar?” Algunos en la Iglesia tiene un problema con cantar cierta música. He oído a gente decir: “Pastor, sólo debemos cantar del himnario.” ¿Le suena conocida esa expresión? Otros se quejan de la nueva música. Entonces, ¿qué podemos cantar?
Canta algo que bendiga a Dios y que te bendiga a ti. Me encanta el himnario y crecí cantando de dos himnarios diferentes: el Himnario Adventista y el Adventist Hymnal (versión inglés). Hasta este día, mi himno favorito es “Mas Allá del Sol” y es la canción preferida de mis niños, ambos pueden cantarla de memoria. Al mirar a través de nuestro Himnario Adventista veo que hay himnos del siglo XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX y XX y me encanta cantar esos himnos. El himno mas contemporaneo en el Himnario Adventista (Ingles) es “Él Vive Hoy” (Because He Lives) escrito en 1971 por los Gaithers, eso fue un año antes que yo naciera. El himno mas nuevo escrito por un adventista en el himnario (Ingles) es “Esta Esperanza” (We Have this Hope) en 1962, exactamente diez años antes que yo naciera, y hace casi 50 años atrás.
Cuando veo esto me pregunto, ¿Acaso el Espíritu Santo murió con Wayne Hooper? ¿El Espíritu Santo dejó de inspirar compositores cristianos en 1971? La respuesta es NO. El Espíritu Santo todavía esta vivo, el Espíritu Santo sigue inspirando musicos cristianos hoy. Por supuesto, los himnos del siglo XXI suenan diferente, porque ya no estamos en el siglo XVI, estamos en el siglo XXI. Una cosa de la cual puedes estar seguro es que el mismo Espíritu Santo que inspiró a la gente antes de este siglo, aún inspira a la gente para componer para Dios hoy. Los himnos clásicos de hoy son las canciones de música cristiana contemporánea del siglo XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX y XX. Si el mundo dura mucho más, un día, nuestros himnos contemporáneos del siglo XXI pasaran a ser considerados como los clásicos. Entonces, ¿qué cantamos? Canta una canción o un himno, ya sea del siglo XVI o del siglo XXI, pero canta algo que bendiga a Dios y que te bendiga a ti, pero por favor Canta.
Te preguntas, ¿está bien cantar canciones cristianas contemporáneas?
“¡Aleluya! ¡Alabado sea el Señor! Canten al Señor un cántico nuevo, alábenlo en la comunidad de los fieles.” (Salmo 149:1 NVI)
La Biblia nos anima muchas veces a cantar una canción nueva, mientras que no condena el canto de una vieja canción. Después de la Segunda Venida de Jesús, en el cielo, me gustaría cantar algunos de los himnos clásicos. Tambien cantaremos algunas canciones nuevas, que no están en nuestros himnarios, como lo hacen los Seres Vivientes y los Veinticuatro Ancianos (Apocalipsis 5:9). ¿Puedes imaginar cuando cantemos el Himno de Moisés y del Cordero sobre el Mar de Cristal (Apocalipsis 15:2-4)?
Entonces, ¿qué podemos cantar? Si te gustan los viejos himnos; canta, y si te gusta los nuevos himnos; canta. Si te gustan los himnos; canta, si te gustan los Salmos; canta, te gustan las canciones espirituales; canta, si te gusta Wayne Hooper; canta, si te gustan los Gaithers; canta, si te gusta Michael W. Smith; canta, si te gusta Kirk Franklin; canta, Israel Houghton; canta, Darlene Zschech; Elfred Deynes, canta. Pero sobre todas las cosas, si tu amas a Dios; canta. Pero por favor no te sientes allí en calidad de piadoso a criticar a todo el mundo que quiere cantar. Canta porque Dios habita en la alabanza de su pueblo!
Oración: Dios, estoy muy agradecido, ya que habitas en las alabanzas de tu pueblo. Gracias por los himnos clásicos antiguos y por los nuevos himnos contemporáneos, gracias por que le has dado una voz a todas las generaciones y el Espíritu Santo ha dado a cada generación una melodía y un ritmo para que te alabe. Más que nada, muchas gracias, porque incluso en el cielo, vamos a cantar y alabarte por lo que estás haciendo y lo que seguirás haciendo. Hoy, te alabo Dios. AMEN
Jose
Traducido por:16FEB
“Canta”
escrito en Enero 25, 2011
La Biblia está llena de comandos para cantar, canta una nueva canción, haz un ruido alegre, canta con instrumentos. ¿Por qué cantar? Porque cantar glorifica a Dios, cantar bendice el alma, cantar es bueno para el cuerpo, cantar quita la depresión, cantar cambia la actitud, cantar te ayuda a lograr victoria, cantar asusta al enemigo, cantar acorta el viaje y aligera la carga.
Hace apenas unos días mi familia y yo viajamos al norte de Nueva York, como hacemos a menudo, nuestro plan era pasar el día con las Iglesias Adventistas de la parte norte de nuestra conferencia, la Iglesia de Livingston y la Iglesia de Kinderhook. También quería pasar un tiempo con mi colega, el pastor Steve Torres y su familia. Después de predicar en ambas iglesias y visitar a el pastor Steve y su esposa Deb, nos encontrábamos de regreso. A nuestro regreso, ya era de noche, la nieve estaba cayendo, la carretera estaba un poco peligrosa, y todos estábamos cansados. Los niños se durmieron, Joanne, mi esposa empezó a quedarse dormida. De repente me sentí tan cansado, que pensé que no sería capaz de completar el viaje de 3 horas de vuelta a casa. Yo dije: “baby, despierta, me estoy cansando, si no te quedas conmigo, no podremos llegar a casa.” Joanne, siendo la mujer inteligente que es, sacó su iPod y comenzó a tocar Música Cristiana y los dos comenzamos a cantar, en voz alta, de verdad en voz muy alta, y antes de que nos diéramos cuenta, estábamos en casa. Me dije: “Wow, lo hicimos muy rápido”. Luego mire el reloj de mi auto y me di cuenta que el viaje había tomado tres horas, sólo que cantar hizo soportable el viaje largo y difícil, mucho más que soportable, fue agradable.
“No se emborrachen con vino, que lleva al desenfreno. Al contrario, sean llenos del Espíritu. Anímense unos a otros con salmos, himnos y canciones espirituales. Canten y alaben al Señor con el corazón,” (Efesios 5:18-19)
Canta cuando tu trabajo es duro. Canta cuando tu vida es difícil. Canta cuando te sientas solo. Canta cuando tu tarea sea imposible. Canta cuando estés enfermo. Canta cuando la muerte te amenaza. Canta cuando estés mal. Canta cuando estés bien. Canta cuando estés feliz. Canta cuando estés triste. Canta en las victorias. Canta en las derrotas. Canta porque Dios habita en las alabanzas de su pueblo.
Oración: Dios mío y Señor mío, gracias por darme la habilidad de cantar. Abrir mi mente y mi corazón para entender la importancia de cantar y alabar tu nombre. Ayúdame a cantar, hasta en los momentos más difíciles de la vida. AMEN
Jose
Traducido por:15FEB
“Sing”
written January 25, 2012
The Bible is filled with commands to sing, sing a new song, make a joyful noise, sing with instruments. Why Sing? Because: singing glorifies God, singing blesses your soul, singing does the body good (remember that milk commercial), singing takes away your depression, singing changes your attitude, singing helps you to achieve victory, singing scares the enemy, singing shortens the journey and lightens your load.
Just a few days ago our entire family traveled to Upstate New York, as we often do, our plan was to spend the day with our Conference’s northernmost Adventist Churches there, the Livingston Church and the Kinderhook Church, we also wanted to spend some time with my colleague there, Pastor Steve Torres and his family. After speaking at both churches during the day and visiting with Pastor Steve and his wife Deb, we found ourselves on the way back home. On our return, it was already dark, snow was falling, road was a bit hazardous, and we were all tired. The kids fell asleep, Joanne, my wife began to fall asleep as well, and suddenly I felt so tired, as if I would never be able to complete the 3 hour journey back home. I called out “baby, wake up, I am getting tired, if you don’t hang with me, we can’t get home.” Joanne, being the smart woman she is, pulled out her Ipod and began to play some great Christian Music and we both began to sing, out-loud, really out-loud, and then before we knew it, we were home. I said to myself, “Wow, we made it really fast, but then I looked at the clock on my dashboard and noticed, the trip had taken three hours, just that singing made the long difficult journey bearable, actually much more than bearable, it was enjoyable.
“Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit. Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18,19)
Sing when your work is hard. Sing when your life is difficult. Sing when you feel lonely. Sing when your task is impossible. Sing when you are sick. Sing when death threatens you. Sing when you are down. Sing when you are up. Sing when you are happy. Sing when you are sad. Sing in your victories. Sing in your defeats. Sing because God inhabits the praises of His people.
Prayer: My God & my Lord, thank you for giving me the ability to sing. Open my mind & my heart to understand the importance of singing & praising your name. Help me sing even in the most difficult moments of life. AMEN.
Jose
15FEB
written January 20, 2011
“Just Because You Are My Child”
Today is Joel Benjamin’s birthday, he is now a four-year old big boy, no longer a baby. Yesterday, during the day, I asked him to make an appointment for an outing with dad. I told him we would go to the store to pick up something for his birthday, just the two of us; mama and his brother Jose III would stay home while we shopped for his birthday gift. Finally the awaited moment came, he had asked to take a shower and dress nicely earlier, so he was ready. I asked him what store would he want to go to? He told me Target. The two of us got in the car, talked on the way, and got to Target. After browsing the entire section of toys, he showed very little interest and told me, he wanted to go to another store. “Which one?” – I asked. “Toys R Us” he replied. Fortunately there was a Toys R Us close by. We got in the car and drove to Toys R Us. As we entered the store, Joel’s face lit up. We walked around the store, looking at toys, the funny thing, Joel never asked, “Can I have this toy?” He never looked at the price tag of the toys he chose. He picked up the toys he wanted and asked me to put them in the cart, all he would say was, “Papa I want this one, and this other one, please put them in the cart for me.” And I did.
Another funny thing, he got toys for him, he got toys for his brother, and he also got something for mama. As we left the store with a big plastic bag filled with toys, he looked at me and said, “Papa, I knew you were going to get me all these toys because you love me.” As he said that, it dawned on me that my four-year old boy knows me so well. He knows who his father is, he knows how much his father loves him, he knows what his father is capable of giving him, and he was not hesitant to ask.
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)
Though not perfect and still needing improvement in my parental skills I try to get my kids anything that is good for them, the things that I know will make them happy and help them to grow healthy. I do this because I love them both, so much. We have a Father, who is perfect, He owns everything, all things belong to Him. He is capable of giving you anything you need and much more, and He wants to bless you because He loves you much more than anyone. You are to God, what my four-year old Joel and my five-year old, Jose III, are to me.
Last night Joel left the store with every toy he asked for, the toys were not only for him but for others. All he had to do to get those toys was to be born as my son and ask me. I wanted to give him exactly what he wanted, as long as I knew it would be good for him. The same with you and God, your are His child and He wants to fill your life with gifts and blessings that are good for you, just ask Him without inhibition. Anything you can ask of Him, He can get you, if He senses it will be great for your life. Don’t look at the price tag, just ask. Please, don’t ask Him for you alone, ask Him to bless those around, as well. Remember God loves you and He wants to give you good gifts. Go ahead, just ask.
We drove home, Joel was so happy he could not contain his excitement with his toys and the gifts for his brother and mom. I looked at him and thought to myself, “If Joel only knew the surprise we are preparing for him?” Just then he said: “Papa, my birthday could last for a few weeks, let’s get in a big plane and let’s go to Disney.”
Prayer: God, I am so glad you know how to give gifts, really good gifts. Give me the boldness of my son Joel, so I can ask without inhibition knowing that you will give me what is good for me. Thank you so much. AMEN.
Jose
8FEB
“Cause I’ll Rise Again”
Written January 19, 2011
This past Saturday, as I was on the platform of the beautiful Livingston Seventh-day Adventist Church, located on the suburbs of the city of Albany, just as I was praying in my head, and right before I got up to speak there was a song that lifted my spirit and brought me a refreshed sense of hope. Tomas, a member of the congregation and a friend, sang “I’ll Rise Again” a song that describes some of the thoughts that could have gone through Jesus’ mind, as He was being mocked, spitted on, and crucified.
As Tomas sang the refrain over,
“Cause I’ll rise again.
There’s no pow’r on earth can tie Me down.
Yes, I’ll rise again,
Death can’t keep Me in the ground.”
I was invigorated by the insight of what must have been going through Jesus’ head during those terrible moments. These lyrics correspond accurately with what actually happened. As He was being falsely accused and mistreated, Jesus was given the opportunity to speak on His own defense:
“…Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64)
As Jesus went through the worst moments of His life, filled with betrayal, humiliation, abuse, and cruelty there was a thought that helped him to keep His sanity and purpose. He kept on thinking of a better day. He thought of a glorious moment. He reminded himself that He would be down, but only temporarily. His faith stayed fixed on the fact that He would rise again, that no power could keep Him down, and that death could not hold Him in the ground.
How about you? What do you do when mistreated, abused, falsely accused, and humiliated? What are your thoughts when you are down? Do you easily give up when life’s unfairness knocks you down?
Today, I would like to encourage you to do what Jesus did as you go through your bad moments. Think of a better day, this is only temporary, stay positive, as long as God is with you and you are with Him, there is no power on earth that can keep you down. You’ll rise again and that will be glorious.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for giving me a great example of what to do on down days. I thank you because you rose again and earned that right for me. Thank you for the promise of the better day, not only here and now, but there and then. With your blessing, I know, nothing and no one can keep me down. AMEN.
Jose
7FEB
“We Are All ONE”
There is a quote taken from the famous speech “I Have a Dream” given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Many things have changed since this quote was eloquently uttered by Martin Luther King. The United States of today is a much different place. Though many of the things that Martin Luther King peacefully fought for have been accomplished, yet there are areas of growth where improvements are needed. Prejudism of all types, (racial, against women, children, youth, ethnic groups which are not large enough to be recognized, and even reversed prejudism) still exists in our society and many times among Christians.
Long before Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and before the “…all men are created equal…” quote was penciled into the Declaration of Independence of the United States, someone, inspired by God, wrote the following:
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
- 1.God values people of all nationalities equally.
- 2.God loves people of all ethnicities the same.
- 3.God sees no difference in rank among people with different occupations.
- 4.There aren’t “little people” in the eyes of God.
- 5.God does not regard men as more important than women.
- 6.Before God, all people, regardless of background, gender, age, and profession are Very Important People.
As you live on remember to love people just because they are people, that’s what Jesus does. Do not discriminate because of their color (whether very black, very white, or very anything in between), God created us different and beautiful. In your daily life, be careful to ignore the qualifications of a person because she is a woman, or because he is too young, or perhaps too old. When a child needs your attention, don’t think of the fact that kids don’t have influence or money, do your best for the child, after all, children are VIPs in the eyes of God. Even if your culture says different, don’t forget that for those of us who believe in Jesus, the teachings of the Bible are above culture and tradition.
On this day, as we commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., someone who fought against prejudism and advocated civil rights, someone who was able to influence great change in our society, I challenge myself and you, the reader, to make some great changes in our lives. Let’s live a prejudice-free life, filled with love, kindness, and compassion for all people. Next time you feel tempted to discriminate, overlook, ignore, or simply treat someone differently because of their color, nationality, gender, age, profession, among other things, remember, Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. More than anything, keep in mind, this dream originated in the heart of God, “in Christ we are all ONE.”
Prayer: My God, more than anything I want to be a Christian, a true follower of Jesus. Help me to love people and value each one, like you do, regardless of background, gender, color, nationality, and age. Thank you for your unconditional love for me and for those around me. AMEN.
Jose
13JAN
“Asked for a Volkswagen & Got a Mercedes”
As we planned our vacation we realized we had a few Reward Points with the Marriott Hotel due to extensive travel through the years, points which we had not yet used. Joanne and I decided we would use them for our last three days of vacation. This would be like a bonus, three extra days at a different yet beautiful location, for free, just use some Reward Points. So she called them and made the arrangements.
As our vacation winded down we got ready for the transition to a different hotel, anticipating our last three days, for free. We arrived at the hotel, Joanne and the kids sat down as I got ready to check in. As I came up to the counter, I pulled out my Marriott Reward Card and asked the question I always asked, “Can you upgrade us to a suite?” A suite can be very comfortable, especially when you have kids, it also provides the necessary privacy. Upgrades to a suite are usually complementary for Platinum members, as long as there is availability. The guy behind the counter was very nice, he said “let me check if we have one.” He asked me to wait a few moments, and shortly came back with a smile: “We don’t have a regular suite but we have the Presidential Suite, would you like to take that one? Then he added, “I must warn you it is awfully big, your kids will be able to play baseball in there.”
Joanne, the kids, and I took the elevator up to the top floor; we were in for an awesome surprise. As we walked through the double doors of our room, we found ourselves in total luxury, Huge Living Room with very elegant furniture, paintings, ultimate audio visual equipment, dining room with large table for 10 people, christmas tree, modern kitchen, two beautiful marble bathrooms with spa, three very large balconies overlooking the sea, one of them with a very large hot jacuzzi, and of course a luxurious Master Bedroom with a huge king bed. I looked at Joanne and she looked at me, and I said to her: “I asked for a Volkswagen and we got a Mercedes Benz, better yet a Rolls Royce.”
God can do exactly the same for us. The Bible says:
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…” (Ephesians 3:20)
As we enjoyed our last three days, filled with unexpected extravagant luxury, looking at the aqua color sea from our comfortable furnished balconies, seeing our kids use the nice large outdoor jacuzzi on the top floor as their own heated swimming pool, we thanked God for His blessings, which are greater than our requests. By the way, His upgrades go beyond the Presidential Suite, they apply to anything in your life.
As you go about your day and about your life, do not settle for the Volkswagen when you can have the Mercedes Benz, or for the Mercedes when you can have the Rolls Royce. God is able to do much more than you want. He can exceed your highest expectations and your wildest dreams; really, believe it, He wants to do it. It is OK to ask for His blessing and it is perfectly fine to expect great things to happen in all aspects of your life. But please, don’t forget to ask and thank him for the upgrade.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your blessings which many times go beyond my expectations. Help me to live a life of faith, filled with the anticipation of your awesome and super abundant favor. Thank you for giving me more than I ask for. AMEN.
Jose
12JAN
