The Hope of America

One of the BEST messages I've ever heard Pastor Dino preach... I'm gonna do my best to summarize, but I couldn't write fast enough to keep up.
He was on FIRE!

Fact: By TOMORROW, this Presidential election alone will have cost nearly 2.4 BILLION dollars.

Where did all that money go?
Travel Expenses
Speaking engagements
Debates
Signage
Political fees
But mostly: ADVERTISING

Advertising???
Couldn't there be a better use for that money?

The HOPE of America is not a candidate, not a false "messiah," not a budget cut or medicare overhaul. It's not about who is the better speaker, the better comedian, the most handsome, or most charismatic. It's not about race, creed, partisan politics or religion.

It's about what WE, as a Church, are doing to make a difference in this country.

It's about GOD'S PEOPLE DOING GOD'S WORK for GOD'S GLORY.
Period.
That is the hope of America.

Why?
Because no matter how much faith you put into your candidate -- how much you believe (or want to believe) that he or she is going to be your nation's "salvation" -- they will eventually disappoint.
It's not about DEMOCRAT or REPUBLICAN; Both parties have failed miserably, historically.

The REAL Hope of America is about REAL CHANGE -- Not change that is just talked about: rhetoric designed to placate the masses without offering any REAL example of actually DOING ANYTHING.
Think about how much money has been wasted already on political nonsense...

How many meals for hungry children could have been bought?
How many medical treatments provided for those who have no access to hospitals?
How many children sold into sex slavery (human trafficking) could have been freed?
How many orphans could have been adopted by couples who cannot afford the cost-prohibitive adoption fees?

You want to talk about real CHANGE -- real HOPE?
How about...
--> 1 MILLION water bottles given to the thirsty
--> 15 THOUSAND Thanksgiving meals given to the poor
--> 5 MILLION meals to sub-Saharan African AIDS orphans
--> 2 DREAM CENTERS serving the people of the inner city on a DAILY basis.
--> THOUSANDS of roses and chocolates given to prostitutes and strippers to show them real LOVE.
--> HUNDREDS of yards mowed, houses painted, tree branches cut & cleared.
--> HUNDREDS (Thousands?) of blue tarps provided to homes with damage from hurricanes Gustav & Ike
--> THOUSANDS of FREE medical checkups, immunizations, teeth cleanings, & tooth extractions

This is what my church has done in just a few short years with only a fraction of the cost of this ONE presidential election.
And we've done so much more that is not listed here!

"We, as a people, have provided CHANGE to the world that government could never provide!" -- Dino Rizzo

That's why we can't get discouraged by a few numbers, a candidate, or all the media hype... We have to continue to sow into the future of our nation! We have to step up and be the Church that Jesus called us to be.

WE (God's Church) are the real Hope of America.

PICS From LIVE THE DREAM '08

Ok, so I totally lifted some of these pictures from Eric's Blog & Jennifer's Blog (*hope y'all don't mind!!*), but most of them are from my iPhone.

Check 'em out:

Ladies Waiting in Line to Get Inside!!

Opening Number -- Very Dramatic Drum & Dance -- with Break-Dancing, too!

Very Cool!

Don't Fall!

Pastor Dino Rizzo

Attentive Crowd -- more than 1500 women attended!!

At the After Party -- Cirque Du Soleil Was Here!!

Watching the Aerialist perform... Wonder what people driving by were thinking???

Girls Just Wanna Have FUN!

Injecting a Little TESTOSTERONE Into the Conference!

"God Made Men Out of Dirt"

Walking On Sunshine -- VERY COOL Synchronized Routine

THE END =(

Well, until NEXT YEAR...!

S - E - R - V - O - L - U - T - I - O - N

TOMORROW'S The Day!!!

So, I clicked on the Servolution website to get a new link for this blog entry & this is what I see!
It's my oldest daughter, Nadia, from last year's SERVOLUTION!
How cool is that?

Last year, Nadia and I had the privilege of doing manicures at the inner city block party. Tomorrow, we will go to the battered women's shelter and do a little pampering on the ladies and a bit of cleaning on the shelter.
We are SO excited to be a part of this amazing experience once more!

This will be the second, annual "Servolution" for
Healing Place Church -- a term coined by our very own Pastor Dino Rizzo.

So, WHAT is a servolution, you ask?
Think HUNDREDS (maybe a thousand this year??) of volunteers -- all in RED "Serve" shirts -- dishing up some love to the Greater Baton Rouge area.

There will be block parties and car washes and free water bottles handed out on street corners.
Some of us will visit hospitals and give snacks and cold drinks to the staff.
Many will visit local nursing homes & one group is going to make the local foster home sparkle!
Various groups will simply go from neighborhood to neighborhood in the inner city and "adopt-a-block" in which they pick up trash, mow lawns, do minor repairs, whatever they can to show love to the people on that block.
There will be grocery give-a-ways and free medical screenings and free dental care for the kids.
I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

I absolutely LOVE being a part of a church that does something like this!
Don't you think the WORLD could use a little
SERVOLUTION?

You can read about LAST YEAR'S Servolution
here and here.

Does This Make Me Look F.A.T.?

Tonight -- at Healing Place Women -- Pastor Dino spoke to us about being F.A.T.

Now, before you get all huffy, let me clarify:
As women of God, we should WANT to be F.A.T.
FAITHFUL
AVAILABLE
TEACHABLE

Wow. Talk about a message to hit home!
Despite all my efforts and ambitions to be "all that God has called me to be," I sat there wondering,
"How F.A.T. am I, really?"

(from my notes:)

FAITHFUL

-->When I give my word, do people believe me?
-->Can people count on me?
-->Do I carry out my promises, even when there are "crises" and distractions all around me?
Hmmm... Ouch.

AVAILABLE

-->A disciple of Christ is really called to a life of availability. Jesus didn't wait on those who made excuses or who asked for more time (to sell a piece of land or to go bury their father...); He chose those who were willing to drop whatever was in their hands (even their livelihood -- their fishing nets!) and follow Him.
-->We need to tone it down and stop being such drama queens about every little inconvenience in our life.
3 Baby Steps to Simplify Your Life:
*Go low-maintenance for a while. You don't have to be on-call or on-display 24/7.
*Begin to minimize the ME, so you can maximize the OTHERS.
*Pray & then watch & see. Keep your antennae up. -- Let go of your personal agenda and focus on the agenda of God.
... Getting a little uncomfortable here?...

TEACHABLE

Be open to God's direction and guidance; you never know from where it may come.
Often God will use OTHERS to speak His message to us. If we are always focused on ourselves, we're gonna miss it!
Those who are always looking "down" on others, may miss seeing Jesus.
"When you did this for the least of these..."
Lord, help me to always be teachable!

What an amazing lesson! I was writing as fast as I could, it was so good, I didn't want to miss a single point. I hope this post of Pastor Dino's message speaks to you as much as it did to me.
And I hope that you, too, can become very F.A.T.