Faith and Freedom Day at CSO

In celebration of the 4th of July our church in Orlando had a dynamite service today - we call it Faith and Freedom Day. Rev. Rob Schenck of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capitol was our guest speaker. Rob is a missionary to the elected and appointed officials in Washington DC, which is a fancy way of saying he preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ to members of congress, senators, judges and even presidents. He is a "Jew by birth, a Christian by faith," and he taught from Psalm 139 and exhorted us to ponder the reason we celebrate our independence; our freedom. The bible says, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Without religious freedom, the ability to worship our Creator, we are still in bondage. We as Americans have the freedom to openly profess and proclaim the Gospel; yet in other countries Rob has visited, for example Sudan, people there cannot even think or have an opinion of their own for fear of being murdered by their government. He also reminded us of what is written in the Declaration of Independence, that the unalienable rights that have been endowed (gifted) to us are given to us by our Creator: Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Rob's message today was a testament of God's blessing on his ministry. Thank God for our freedom and thank God for Rev. Rob Schenck.Oh no, and that's not all.

Visiting our second service today was Dr. Mark A. Gabrial of the Union of former Muslims, UFM. Mark has spoken at our church before and he was here today to celebrate with us our freedom in Christ. For those of you who have not heard of Dr. Mark Gabrial, he is a former Muslim who now believes that:

"Former Muslims, like all other human beings, should have the absolute right and freedom to choose whatever religion or system of belief they want. The UFM will be an international organization established for the following purpose: To defend the human rights of Muslims who have chosen to leave Islam (i.e., former Muslims) and to provide them with a democratic, free environment where they can practice the right to choose their religion or beliefs."

Like Rev. Rob Schenck, he too preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ - but in a much different environment. Two men of God, worlds apart, yet both fighting to uphold our most precious freedom, our freedom to worship God our Creator through faith in Jesus.

Both of these men are dear friends of my Pastor and seeing them all together today was just a blessing and a great way to celebrate our freedom with the upcoming holiday. I also can't wait to get back into the Gospel of John next week after my long holiday weekend.

Where ever you are this 4th of July stop and thank God for the freedom we have in Christ and then go share that freedom with someone else.

Happy 4th of July!

(thanks to photobucket.com for the USA eagle picture)

Jaden is Four today!

My little boy Jaden is four today...FOUR!. Krystal and I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday he was just a baby and ka-pow four years later he's playing football, starting school and picking on his older brother but not getting into trouble because he can the play the"I'm still the baby" card.

We love you Jaden, I hope you have a wonderful day...and yes next year you will be five and you get to be in Treasure Island.

Anniversary Pictures

May 30, 1998

May 30, 2008

Krystal and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary. Here are some pictures, I hope you enjoy them. It was a great time of family, fellowship and the beginning of a new season for my family.

Don't we make a cute couple?

Look how our boys watched intently as Mommy and Daddy dedicate their marriage to the Lord. Later, during my vows, Jaden fell asleep.

Please feel free to add your own caption. (Love ya Rock!)

Are you ready for some Football Fundraising!

The Perea Boys have begun their journey to football greatness. Their Doctor says they're physically fit, David's been fitted for his pads and they all received new gear and apparel (thanks to Grandma). Practice will begin soon and today I want share with you an opportunity to support my boys and the South Orange Patriots.

I would like to introduce to you Spirit Cups!

Your cups come in your favorite NFL, MLB or Collegiate teams. They are made of Heavy gauge 18oz. plastic, Dishwasher safe; however, do not use in microwave, 4 cups of the same team per pack and they only cost $12.00 per pack of four.

They make great gifts for Dad and for any sports fan so place your order today.

On behalf of the Perea Boys we would like to say Thank you for your consideration in this matter and we are excited to see what these boys can do when they pick up the pig skin and tackle the grid-iron.

Wow, a lot has happened...

The last two weeks have been a blur. My family and I just got back from a nice, overdue vacation. After celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary last Friday we drove down to Miami for the weekend. After the much needed R and R we drove back home and spent time doing nothing. That’s right I said nothing.

Today was my first day back at work and I feel great. I can’t wait to go to church and see my friends and family.

A big thank you to all who helped make this wedding celebration/vacation a memorable one.

Stay tuned for pictures, maybe some video and other fun stuff from our vacation and anniversary.