Time

I'm such a lagger.... DANG.... well I guess I wouldn't lag if I just had more time. It just seems like time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin'.... into the future. I took a look around me this week and realized that I am a crazy busy guy. I don't get to hang out with many friends (besides those I work with) because my schedule is so packed and weird that it just isn't very practicle. That sucks. Straight out... I needed to say that. I love all the things I do but I just wish there was more time to do other things. Isnt' that something we all want.... more time. Well, I guess some other time. Oh well.

Vic

Forget Friday

Tomorrow!!! I found out that Crowdy is coming tomorrow.... Crowdy..... that name sucks... I need a new name for Him... but for now he'll be refered to as Crowdy. Amen!

Vic

Friday!!!

This is my new guitar...


I'm so excited because it shipped today.... UPS tells me it's coming on friday.... DANG!!! Why does friday seem so far away?

DANG!!! Four more days.... Oh well

- Vic

By the way, incase you're wondering it's a Tom Anderson Crowdster that has an Arctic Blue Burst finish on a Quilted maple top. The body and neck are Mahogany and the Fretboard is African Rosewood. Beautiful!!!.... I'm such a nerd.... DANG!!!

Where is your heart?

Read Isaiah 1:10-16

I just started reading the book of Isaiah today. I've read it a few times before, like I have with most of the bible, but I have to admit that I've never really stopped and let it sink in. Today as I read I didn't just read I ate.... I ate up the scriptures and was nourished by them. I wanted to share something that I got out of my reading today that really challeneged my heart today.

In the first chapter of Isaiah he calls out the nation of Israel and flat out tells them that they are bad, he refers to them as Sodom and Gomorrah. Thats harsh because if you don't know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah they were pretty much wiped off the face of the earth because of their wickeness [Genesis 19]. In the next few verses Isaiah tells them that God is tired of their meaningless worship and that all the things that they are doing don't mean a thing to God. As a worship leader this really got me asking why? Why are these things so unacceptable to God? Why does He say "Bring your worthless offerings no longer. Incense is an abomination to me." Why so harsh?

Why? Because God doesn't desire people that just do things for Him but instead He desires people who not only worship Him in action but with their whole hearts. The people in Isaiah's day were doing all the right things, they were going to the temple and offering up their sacrifices and incense. But that isn't what God desired from them thats why he said he was tired of it. Thats why he said the offerings were worthless and the incense an abomination. HE WANTED THEM TO WORSHIP HIM WITH THEIR HEARTS!!!

After I thought about that for a while I had to ask myself, as a worshiper, am I constantly worshiping God with my whole heart? When I lead worship, am I just playing music or am I worshiping God? As a worship Pastor, am I a good example of what God desires worship to be? As a husband and father, do I worship God with my family?

Those are tough questions for me to answer sometimes. In my life it is a constant struggle between being a worshiper and a worship pastor. Aren't those the same things though? Yes and no, one is my job and one is my adoration to my Savior. It is true that I can and DO worship God through my job as a pastor but I find that sometimes I have so much going on at church and with ministry that I don't worship God.... I don't because my heart is jumbled by the busyness of life and I find myself just going through the motions... just like those people Isaiah was talking about. I don't want that.... I want to worship God with my life, with everything I do, with my music and with my heart.

I resign myself from being a worship leader because as a leader I fail..... instead I want to be a lead worshiper..... a man who doesn't lead from experience but by example, the example of worship. I don't want to just run through the motions anymore.... I want to worship God with my whole heart and lead through that.

God, that's my desire. I worship You.

- Victor


"It only takes a spark, to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it; you spread his love to everyone; you want to pass it on."

A weeks worth

I have to admit, I had one of the best weeks that I've had in a very long time this week. I spent the last few days hanging around Hume Lake with my wife and son. It was amazing!!! The reason we were there was for a Youth Pastors Conference and I have to say that it was a great week. The teaching was great and the times of worship were refreshing. Thinking about it there were three reasons this trip was so awesome for me. 1) I got a great opportunity to hang out with staff from our church and from other churches and just talk about ministry and best of all just hang out with each other. 2) I got to hang out with my Wife Kimberly and two month old son Matthew for the whole week with no responsibilities. This was so great because I haven't gotten to do that very much at all because of the crazyness that is called my life. 3) Because Nathan and I beat Tim and Shane in the Annual Disc golf tournament this year. Tim and Shane won the tournament two years in a row and were looking for their third win but NOPE!!!... Nate-Dawg and Tostada worked them..... actually we only won by one but I don't care.... WE STILL WON!!! It was an amazing trip.... and to think I almost didn't go.

Anyway enough about that.... I got home last night, got some pizza and crashed in the bed. Woke up this morning and came to find out that I missed alot of things this week. Here's another list

1) "A Day without a Mexican" - I am mexican and I guess I was supposed to be joining in solidarity and skip work???.... Well, I guess I kinda did that but not really. Anyway, someone asked me if I was on strike on monday and I told them that Matthew (My two month old) was on strike for our whole family.... he didn't poop that day

2) The Ducks made it to round two of the playoffs!!! Yeah!!!

3) I got a shoutout from The Bald Worship Leader Phil Ayres. I love that guy and his heart for worship and worship leaders. Thanks for the shout out Phil. You Rock!

4) This didn't really happen while I was gone but today but I'll still count it with these..... I'm getting a new guitar!!! I wrote a few weeks ago that my guitar got stolen (you can read about that Here) Anyway, today I put down the money on my new guitar and it's gonna be shipped on Monday. What is it you ask? Click here to find out.

So that's kinda my week. Sorry for the long entry but I had so much to say and I needed to get it out!!!

Oh and I I know that My wife Kimberly reads this all the time and I just wanted to tell her that I love her with all my heart. You Rock too!!! =)

- Tostada.... reigning Hume Lake Youth Pastors conference Frisbee Golf Champion!!!...... I just love saying that!!!

Apple Ads

Check out these ads..... They're funny cause they're so true!!! GO APPLE!!!

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

-Vic

Shout out!

Buenos dias mi's amigos!!! I added a Shoutbox to this site so you all can leave a little comment on there if you dont feel like signing up through blogger. Try it out.... please.... I'll give you a dollar..... well Wakebird will anyway.

- Vic

My heart will chose to say....

You give and take away, You give and take away
My heart will chose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name

This is the tag line in Matt Redman's song Blessed Be Your Name. We've sung this song so many times in our church but today it took on a whole new meaning for me. This will probably sound weird but, today I lost one of my best friends.... No it wasn't a person but a thing.... My guitar. Not just any guitar you see, this was the guitar that has been with me in my journey in becoming a worship leader. It was a Larrivee D-03 with a L.R. Baggs dual source pickup.... I called it Larry. Anyway... someone broke into our church sometime last night and took a few things from our sanctuary.... A Fender American Deluxe Strat, a full set of symbols, a snare drum and of course Larry.

I was pretty upset this morning but at the same time not really. I can't really explain it but I had a peace about the whole thing. I found out about it when I was leading worship for the High School group at our church with my other guitar during first service. You see I lead worship for the second service at our church called The Elevation Service and the stuff that was stolen was all used for that service. So we quickly scrambled and found some instruments to do the service with and tried to go on with the service like nothing ever happened. The worship this morning was amazing.... I'm not saying that because I'm the worship leader or anything but I believe that God really used that whole thing for His Glory. We were a band of broken people worshiping God putting aside the things that were going on in our lives.

The last song we sang this morning was Blessed Be Your Name and when we got to that line above I felt like God was saying "Don't worry Victor, I gave it to you remember. I gave it to you to worship me and you're doing that without it."

What can I say to that? "Lord, Blessed Be Your Name!!!"

Thank You Lord for showing that to me this morning..... Blessed be Your name.

See ya Larry!

-Vic

I'm such a dad

Time for another picture of Matthew!!! Enjoy!

Vic

Happy Resurection Day!!!

Thank You Jesus for dying on a cross for us and then rising again. You conquered sin and death abd because of that we get to be with You!!! Amazing!

Read it here:

John 20

Vic

Three months

Today is the three month month-iversary (it's not an anniversary) of the Elevation Service at Calvary Church. It has been amazing to be a part of what God has been doing through this service. Here are some pictures and some links to the some Elevevation info.

- Tostada

www.DiscoverElevation.com



Elevation Podcast

Secret to a longer life!!!

Check out this article I ran across:

Basically, people who go to church live longer on average than people that don't go to church.

Here's the link:

http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060403_church_good.html

- Tostada

Holy Pasta Batman!!!

I was doing some surfing on the net this morning and ran across something funny. Seems a guy was eating some pasta at a local Italian joint and he had an encounter with Jesus!!!

Here's the encounter



Yeah, Jesus pasta is exciting but I found something just as incredible!!!

ROSIE O'DONELL IN THE SAME PLATE!!! Check it out



-Vic

Bittersweet

Well today was my first day back to work and I must say that I had a great day.... busy though. One thing I did realize as I've been off the past few weeks is that I really love my job. I have the awesome privilege of getting to go to work and being used by God to lead people in worshiping Him. HOW AMAZING IS THAT!!! Thank You Lord for blessing me with this ministry.

Anyway, so why is this post titled bittersweet? Well simply because as I said I went back to work today which means that I had to leave my beautiful baby boy Matthew at home. I missed him all day. I've realized that I'm truly a dad now. So what does that mean?.... way to short khaki shorts with brown socks and loafers. YES!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Gotta love that.

I love my little boy

-Tostada

Just in case you missed it...

Hey, just incase you didn't know it I had my son Matthew on March 2nd. I have a ton of pictures uploaded. Here's the link

Pictures of Matthew John Estrada

- Vic