Andrew Adames

(The following post was originally written on Nov. 24th, 2014. I am transferring it over here from my previous blog site.) Photo Credt As I sat in the familiar chair… (You know the one. You sit in every Sunday when you attend your local worship gathering.) I expected to sing some songs, say what up to some neighbors, and hear a message from the pastor. What I didn’t expect was to be challenged to my core. Think about that…. (How sad is it that I was going to church and not expecting to be challenge? Anyways that’s another blog for another time.) As our pastor was preaching he challenged the congregation to read through the book of 1 John this week. Seems simple enough right? I mean its only five chapters and I can do one a day. Too easy right? The issue here is not just reading the five chapters, it’s that for the past 8 Sunday’s I have felt God asking me to do something that honestly, I have been too lazy to do. I want to do it, but I don’t. (Side note, I think P

(The following post was originally written on Sep. 22nd, 2014. I am transferring it over here from my previous blog site.) Photo Credit I have never been mistaken for being a patient person. Most of the time I am in a hurry to get to the next task, next location, or next adventure. I have never, EVER, been a fan of waiting... I HATE waiting... Waiting on the cable guy to show up, waiting for my name to be called at the doctors office, waiting for a pizza that takes longer than 30 minutes to arrive. You get the picture. Patience has never been one of my strong points. It is a straight up struggle for me to wait for something to happen. Which is why this current season of my life is rough... I am currently in a holding pattern. I have been told by God Himself to slow down and wait... (Cue the reason for my anxiety.) I have always been a big supporter and believer of the importance of obedience in the life of a Christ follower, and yet here I am struggling with being

(The following post was originally written on May 23rd, 2014. I am transferring it over here from my previous blog site.) Photo Credit For the past few weeks, racial issues have commanded the forefront of our media headlines. From the issues of the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterlings derogatory comments about the African-American community and specifically Ervin "Magic" Johnson to Dallas Maverick's Owner and Entrepreneur Mark Cuban stating his view, "I mean, we're all prejudiced in one way or another. If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there's a guy that has tattoos all over his face -- white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere -- I'm walking back to the other side of the street. And the list goes on of stereotypes that we all live up to and are fearful of. So in my businesses, I try not to be hypocritical. I kno

(The following post was originally written on Dec. 9th, 2013. I am transferring it over here from my previous blog site.) I don't know about you but I can use some of that in my life right now. Let me explain... I have had a variety of life changing activity occur in the past three months. 1. My lead pastor left the church where I serve as Family pastor. 2. My son was born. 3. I turned 30. I know that these don't sound like a big deal but in my schedule it has been. Between taking on extra responsibilities at our church, caring after my new born son who I am head over heels in love with, and hitting the big three-oh my life has gotten a bit out of whack. For example: my mind is currently thinking about our Christmas series, Christmas eve service, potential plans for Seminary, and other life changing decisions that my wife and I are working through right now. So when I say that I can use some peace, I really mean it. Peace is something that we all strive for

(The following post was originally written on Dec. 3rd, 2013. I am transferring it over here from my previous blog site.) This week began the Advent season. Advent is a time of celebration for those who belong to Jesus. It is a season of  Hope ,  Peace, Joy, and Love . It is when we step back from all of the commercialism that life has to offer and we truly meditate on what it meant for God to send His Son to us. I am thrilled that God did this for me and that Jesus is in my heart but I've always struggled with the meaning of  hope ... Is  hope  the same thing as  want ? A lot of the time the things that I  want  are the same things that I  hope  I get. For example, I  hope  that I can get some new clothes for Christmas. I also  want   new clothes for Christmas. So I am a little bit confused I guess as to what the true definition of  hope  really is. My concern is that most of us get the word  hope  confused with the word  want.  Some of us might not see the wrong in this

I love new things. I love new clothes, new fitted hats, and a fresh pair of new kicks. Lets just say that I love when things are new. I also love when God brings new opportunities in our lives to pursue a dream. Recently God has done that in my life. He's been moving subtly and strategically and has placed some pretty cool opportunities on my plate. Now the main reason why I love new things is because of what Jesus said in Revelation 21:5 "See I am making all things new." (NLV) In the midst of all of these opportunities I find myself asking one question: how do I handle the new things that God places in my life? Now I know that it sounds like an easy question to answer, but if you look deeply and carefully at it, it makes you think. How do I handle new things? As a child when I would get a new toy, I would get excited and play with it for hours on end. The result from that would usually end up being a broken toy. I share this with you all because I feel that