[Re-posted with permission!! ]

Flamingo Film & Arts Festival 09 – Teaser from Flamingo Road Church on Vimeo.

Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting Barby and her family at Markham park for a quick session of family photos before their oldest daughter went back to college.

I decided to post a quick preview (10 of 80) of their photos so they could see them online as well as share them with our friends we do life with at FRC : ).

Enjoy!

How cute are they???

What a beautiful family, huh?

The kids : )

Getting silly… I have a feeling this is a regular occurrence for everyone : )

Barby even got a bunch of new headshots taken : )

and my favorite (the most unscripted moment of the afternoon- he didn’t even know I took this picture : ))-

When asked what was the greatest, most important commandment, Jesus answered LOVE. I, too, believe this is the most important directive we get from Jesus’ teachings.

First, love the LORD your God with all your heart, and second, love your neighbor as yourself. At the Leadership Summit this weekend, some of the speakers asked, “who is your neighbor?”. They talked about helping the poor, the sick, the destitute, the poverty stricken, what many call “the least of these”. I think we absolutely SHOULD help those, our neighbors, and brothers and sisters in Christ, but people get overwhelmed when they see the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Or the poverty in South America or Asia. They think “how can I make a difference there? Its so HUGE!”.

Its the age old question of ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!’.

I think we need to start somewhere, and for many people, its a more local, practical application of God’s love. Make the decision to be a little nicer to your friends and family, even if they’ve done something to wrong you. Forgive, even if you don’t think they deserve it. Forgiveness doesn’t free someone else, it frees YOU. Be more patient when driving, don’t honk as soon as the light turns green and the person in front of you doesn’t move. Say hello, goodbye, please, and thank you to anyone who serves you throughout the day. Remember, your waitress/cashier/delivery man are people with lives, children and worries.

You can always practically apply Jesus’ command to love your neighbor on a daily basis, and you’ll see, the more loving you are, the more love you’ll want to give, when you see the impact it makes on other people’s lives and especially yours.

Any comments on love, or random acts of kindness you’ve done?

Hanging out and doing life with amazing friends & family (& friends who become like family) is my favorite part of life, hands down.

I met Tara through Mike, Jon and Olivia, and though we had run in the same salsa dancing circles, we had never met in person. I was excited to know she was coming to our Monday salsa class and we would finally meet. Last Monday, she let us know she would be getting baptized at the Cavalry Beach Baptism this weekend. We all wanted to be there to support her in this new adventure and way of life, and it was a great time!

We are constantly reminded that Baptism is an outward expression of the feelings in your heart, and we were so happy to be there with Tara for this expression of her faith!

Enjoy the slideshow below with photos of the day, as well as the video : ).

God does AMAZING work, huh???

Tara’s Beach Baptism 8.8.09 from Lisette Arencibia on Vimeo.

There is no more ‘old normal’.

‘Storms’ allow for greatness to emerge. Rough weather draws out strength that calm seas never will.

You have to ask yourself, “Is the local church still the hope of the world?” Remember the beauty, power and potential of the church.

We must live out the 1st century dream [the early Christians] in the 21st century.

Leaders must make choices that make sure the church is still being the church. You can bring people closer to Christ when you focus on the church being the church.

Advocate for the powerless and hold the powerful accountable.

No one is coming to church looking for a mild dose of God these days.

Most pastors would rather work with souls than spreadsheets.

Healthy cash reserves give church leaders time in a crisis.

People will still give generously when they believe in a vision, even in a crisis.

We want to see God’s work done in OUR DAY.

God’s great work is done through people who are completely yielded to him.

Have an adequate replenishment strategy for the things you are pouring out in ministry. In crisis situations, the best thing you can bring to the table is a “filled up bucket”.

What do your followers and colleagues see when they look at you?

Quoted Bible Verses:
Luke 14
Romans 8:6
Romans 12:8

Recommended Reading:
Jim Collins- How the Mighty Have Fallen

A few months ago, a friend (@fueledbyGod – aka Mike ) told me I had to check out the Leadership Summit. So, being me, I was like, “OK cool!’. As soon as I was able to, I registered (and let me tell you, for $75 bucks for both days, it was a STEAL as far as conferences go), and before I knew it, it was here.

ALL the speakers were amazing, but in my fury to write notes, I realized what I was mostly writing were quotable quotes, and other interesting tidbits. Not the whole message. But, I did make sure to keep things in context (I think!) : ). Most of, if not all, the speakers were Christian, and they came from a variety of backgrounds. Some were pastors, others were entrepreneurs, and still others were business leaders. It was amazing to see all these educated, accomplished people coming together to talk about leadership and the impact of the church. Good stuff.

Here was the lineup of speakers Day 1:

• Bill Hybles- Founder & Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church

• Roundtable with Bill Hybles, Henry Cloud (Clinical Psychologist, Author & Business Consultant), Patrick Lencioni (Founder & President, The Table Group), Carly Fiorina (Former CEO of Hewlett Packard) & David Ireland (Senior Pastor, Christ Church)

• Gary Hamel- Director, Management Innovation Lab

• Tim Keller- Author & Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church

• Jessica Jackley- Co-Founder of Kiva.org

• Harvey Carey- Senior Pastor, Citadel of Faith Covenant Church

For the sake of SPACE, I am putting each speaker on their own post : ). For some there are a lot, for others, just a few. Enjoy!

This weekend I got the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with Flamingo Road Church and photograph the beach baptism and the concert afterwards. It was amazing to watch so many people honoring God.

Here are a few of my favorite photos, enjoy!