1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

1) Father: Get the image of who God is right

2 Corinthians 6:18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 Peter 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.

2) Hallowed be your name,

Meaning: Highly venerated be your name, I wish to hold you in high regard, for you to be number one in my heart and life and for your name to be held in high regard on this earth. To Honor as holy

3) Your kingdom come.

Pray for non-Christian friends to become Christians, to come into God’s Kingdom

4) Give us each day our daily bread

Pray through your needs of the day and over your schedule, bring God into everything you do, tap into his power and see him work!

5) Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

A time to confess your sin and the sins of other, compare how you reacted to people and situations with how Jesus would have to help you connect with your sin. Forgive others their sin, pray for them in a genuine and humble way knowing you have most probably, either done what they did, will do what they did or thought about doing it

6) And lead us not into temptation.

Pray for your own weaknesses, pray through where Satan may be waiting to tempt you, try and see where you will fall and avoid it.

7) Luke 11: 9-10 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Don’t be afraid to ask what you want from God, he loves you

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Praying Through Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Start with a Song, if you can play an instrument play that, Shout for joy at the end of it

4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

Read this whole Psalm out loud to God

5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

Confess where you have ben unrighteous and pray for strength for a better day, thank God for his forgiveness and Love

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Spend time praising his creation; tell him how impressed you are with it

10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.

Pray for the nations in the world, their leaders and the future of mankind

13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

Spend time with God reflecting on how you are doing and talk to him about how you feel about it.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

Pray to God to help you in your daily needs, the needs of this year and the needs of your long term life.

20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Finish off the prayer just thanking God for all that he has done this year for you, for how he has help you in certain situations and for the prayers he has answered for you

May 7, 2013

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants,through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

Now we know why God created the ocean! To baptize disciples, like Jack!

May 7, 2013

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6)

I am so blessed and humbled to serve as the Women’s Ministry Leader in South Central for such an amazing group of women, now 50+ strong! In the first 18 weeks of this year we have had 15 incredible women added to the family! ”The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord”(Acts 11:21). The sacrifice and growth of the Core Ministry Leaders is inspiring!

Leading the way for us as she shepherds our region supporting her husband Nick, is Denise Bordieri. She continues to teach and train us to love one another, always looking for ways to strengthen the women, bringing out the best in them. Their theme scripture this year is 1 Timothy 4:6-16. The Bordieri’s lead our monthly Marriage Devotionals and the fruit is evident as our Marrieds Ministry has doubled since the beginning of the year.  Denise has become a very dear friend and partner in the gospel and  I thank God for not only her heart of shepherding but her friendship, daily encouragement and support to me personally.

As the Bordieri’s help support the Boea’s in leading the Marrieds Ministry, Pat and Pam have also devoted themselves not only in leading the marrieds but also making our Kids Kingdom an awesome experience for our children and raising up new teachers every rotation. Very special to me are the single moms in our region. I was converted back in Florida as a single mom and understand the daily challenges they go through.  We currently have 7 sold out, faithful single moms. Pam along side of her husband lead our monthly Single Parenting Devotionals which have given our women hope and also invaluable teaching from God’s Word which encourages their souls.

In our Singles Ministry we are led by not just one but two incredible women, Jeraldine Luque and Melissa Podczerviensky, as our Singles Ministry is the largest. I am extremely encouraged by them both being interns for the church and attending the ICCM. We are all excited for Jeraldine as she plans her wedding with Cory for July 28th. Melissa has been a breath of fresh air to me as she is not only a good friend but has moved into my apartment and is now my roommate! I am excited that we have not only added younger women but also some mature single professional women to the ministry as there is a need for them to help us build depth and character within the ministry.

In our Campus Ministry Sparkle Boea has been leading the women powerfully as it has more than doubled since the beginning of the year! I appreciate Sparkle’s heart of humility and imitation. She now has several d-groups as she is pouring herself out to raise up leaders, and all as she is working full-time! Patrick and Sparkle have been a blessing to the SC Region, thank you Chicago!

Our mighty teen women are led by our sacrificial sister Heydi Rodriguez alongside her boyfriend Raymond. They both drive all over South Central picking the teens up for Bible studies, devo’s and church making it possible for these teens to be devoted to the Kingdom. I am inspired by the hearts of our young women as they proclaim Jesus as Lord day in and day out, at home, at school, everywhere they go, everyday! They are amazing imitators of Heydi in their zeal as she imitates Christ (1 Corinthians11:1)They are the future leaders of our church! One of our teens, Kianna Tago, has been bouncing off the walls since she has been accepted to go to IGNITE this summer. I am so proud of her and all our teens!

In our Latin Ministry we have an amazing servant Wendy Lopez that leads along her boyfriend Hector. Wendy’s love for her women is evident as they created unity and worked together to raise their Special Missions. Four of her women are ‘mature’ retired, not working and have already raised their missions by selling food. Their example is inspirational and convicting.

God has amazingly blessed each of our ministries this year, so far with 2 teens, 4 campus, 5 singles, 4 marrieds, one of them being a Latina! These seven amazing core ministry leaders that I get to work alongside of have proven themselves faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1-2) and become very dear friends to me as well as partners in the gospel.  Please pray for us as we have several at the edge of the waters of baptism and a couple close to restoration.

We are all thankful for the brothers that lead the way for us, not just in words but in action as God has blessed the men with many additions as well, most recently this past Saturday with Jack’s baptism. And we are all inspired by Cory’s weekly preaching and the call to live the life God has called us to live! To God be the Glory!

Megan feels the love and support of the Core Ministry Leaders as they sit faithfully by her side! From bottom left going clockwise: Jeraldine and Melissa with the Singles, Megan, Heydi leading the Teens, Pam doubling upwith Marrieds/Kids Kingdom, Sparkle with Campus, Denise Shepherding the flock and Leading the Marrieds, and Wendy with the lovely Latins!

May 7, 2013

Greetings from the Latin Ministry! We would like to share our humble good news with you all! And this week we would love to raise up our awesome sister Lolita Hernandez! As a group we have been working together to meet our goal for 20x’s. Our women have used their talents to good use. Being that they are skillful in the art of cooking they have decided to continue raising our 20x’s by cooking lunch for everyone to enjoy after Sunday Services! Filling up our brothers and sisters tummy with delicious food, Lolita took It upon herself to cook and sell ,to raise up our sister Elvia’s contribution! She even refused to take back the money she invested in the food, saying “if its for my sister Elvia keep it all.” Her heart behind it all brought tears to our eyes! To see the love, the sisterhood and the friendship being built is amazing! Glory be to our God that gives us the key to true Love. We would also like to welcome our Sister Veronica Sanchez back into the family! The Lord has guided her back home! And we are humbled to have her join us in the battle to gather up Gods children!

We are encouraged by the strong friendships and unity being built with the Latin women! Lolita (top center),
mentioned above, has worked so hard at giving her heart!

May 7, 2013

Good news in the Campus ministry! “LIFE” on campus is now an official group at CSUDH! Friday April 12 we had our first family time in a reserved room on campus. It was encouraging to see how God has allowed us to be recognized as a group on campus that holds a true purpose and a cure for the 13,993 lost souls with 8,000 new freshman to reach each fall! Reflecting back to 2012, at the end of the year God has added 3 women to our ministry; all in consecutive months – September, October & November – Lexus who was attending Trade Tech College and two of which, Esther & Vonte, are students at CSUDH! What is more encouraging is to see how God has blessed our ministry with 3 more baptisms this year with one in March – Jennifer a student at El Camino College – and 2 over 2 consecutive weeks in April – Janet & Veronica who are students on CSUDH! We are proud and encouraged by the way the baby Christians have raised up to take care of those who are now some of the new generation babies of God’s movement. Please pray for us as we continue to be faithful and see what new miracles God will perform for His names sake!

Our amazing Campus Crew works hard to tackle the 13,993 lost souls at CSU Dominguez Hills!

May 7, 2013

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” (Matthew 25:14-18)

Greetings from the South Central Singles Ministry!  Woot- Woot! Last week we were given a charge and were spurred on by our awesome brother Chris Bryant on how we can use our talents collectively to advance God’s kingdom. We have singles with all sorts of talents from singing to dancing, comedy, acting, fitness , the list goes on an on.  Along with this week’s awesome lesson given by Cory Blackwell from the Book of Daniel on how God has predicted victory in the end for all his chosen saints, it has been truly an encouraging time of strengthening for all of us to use our talents and keep our armor up til the end! 

Some of our singles stregthen one another on an encouraging date, including two of our
newst additions Terrence Delane (left) and Bridget Marquez (front)!

Also exciting is the upcoming tag-tam tagging event Saturday May 11th! We will be teaming up with the Teen and Campus Ministries to “plunder the Egyptians” so we can forcefully advance God’s amazing kingdom!

May 7, 2013

The South Central Teen Machine is thriving and going strong! Our teens are growing in the Lord each day. We are seeing the teens go after studies with 4 young amazing individuals. Please be praying for Ana, a young woman from Downey; Rebekah a zealous 13 year old; Rebekah’s best friend Sienna (also 13) & a young man Gorge, who studied in the past but left his studies due to family issues and has now come back to finish his studies with eagerness! We are also very blessed & thankful to have our new Brother in Christ join the Teen Machine–Terrence DeLane. He’s taking charge of the responsibilities our leader Raymond is giving him. We are growing and devoting ourselves to the fellowship just as the disciples from the first century. (Acts 2:42-47) To God be the glory!

Our fearless leader Raymond with our zealous teen Kianna, who has also been accepted into IGNITE!

May 7, 2013

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.” (Colossians 3:1-6)

 I have so much good news, I can’t decide which good news to share! So I will start with my trip to Boston. Being an Evangelist in LA is a dream come true. South Central brings me so much joy with its zeal and sacrifice, the leaders are raising up and taking care of their Bible Talks. On average we grow almost weekly with the goal of daily baptisms in our hearts. Traveling to Boston brought me equal joy . When I arrived at Logan Airport and the Disciples were singing “We Love You With the Love of the Lord” it was like when I first returned to Church –this is the kingdom I was baptized into. The love and zeal of Boston moved my heart in ways unimaginable as I could see the kingdom growing and unfolding with my own eyes. It was special to be with Coltin and Mandee who to such good care of me. They have done a tremendous job with Boston. We had a conference level weekend., which included playing basketball with the guys. I am so glad they are surrounded by such an awesome  team such as Brian Carr, Sal Difusco , Roger and Kama Parlor, Frank and Cindy Hines,Tim powers, Sal and Jenifer Difusco and now two people I love very much Ted and Shelia Kornius. I cried as I saw them place membership with us. They all so cooked me a meal that was so good that before I could finish eating my front tooth fell out of my mouth! I was eating so hard and fast it literally fell out of my mouth! Sunday was the best day of all. A very special young man, Allen, was baptized. He was met by the awesome Dallas remnant leader Tim powers. The whole weekend gave a deeper meaning to what the Kingdom is doing. We are taking the word of God all over the world in our generation To God be the glory!

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.” (Colossians 3:1-6)

 I have so much good news, I can’t decide which good news to share! So I will start with my trip to Boston. Being an Evangelist in LA is a dream come true. South Central brings me so much joy with its zeal and sacrifice, the leaders are raising up and taking care of their Bible Talks. On average we grow almost weekly with the goal of daily baptisms in our hearts. Traveling to Boston brought me equal joy . When I arrived at Logan Airport and the Disciples were singing “We Love You With the Love of the Lord” it was like when I first returned to Church –this is the kingdom I was baptized into. The love and zeal of Boston moved my heart in ways unimaginable as I could see the kingdom growing and unfolding with my own eyes. It was special to be with Coltin and Mandee who to such good care of me. They have done a tremendous job with Boston. We had a conference level weekend., which included playing basketball with the guys. I am so glad they are surrounded by such an awesome  team such as Brian Carr, Sal Difusco , Roger and Kama Parlor, Frank and Cindy Hines,Tim powers, Sal and Jenifer Difusco and now two people I love very much Ted and Shelia Kornius. I cried as I saw them place membership with us. They all so cooked me a meal that was so good that before I could finish eating my front tooth fell out of my mouth! I was eating so hard and fast it literally fell out of my mouth! Sunday was the best day of all. A very special young man, Allen, was baptized. He was met by the awesome Dallas remnant leader Tim powers. The whole weekend gave a deeper meaning to what the Kingdom is doing. We are taking the word of God all over the world in our generation To God be the glory!

How do you describe the kind of joy only the Lord can give? Pure joy! The South Central Ministry is dynamically growing not only in number, but even more so in spirit!

Sunday March 17 we had five house churches! Can you imagine that just two years ago we were nine people meeting in a kitchen? Another milestone occurred on Friday night, March 15, as Lisa Davis the Principle of Washington Elementary School was baptized! Nick & Denise Bordieri, Shepherds of the City of Angels Congregation and the South Central Region, met Lisa over two years ago during our Annual MERCY Toy Drive. Lisa has had many challenges over this time, but has really persevered to make Jesus Lord of her life. She is so fired-up to have a new family! Thanks go to Pam Boea, Monica Vasquez, Denise Bordieri and of course our fearless Women’s Ministry Leader – Megan Mathews.

My eyes are filled with an inexpressible joy, as on Sunday afternoon, 70 people witnessed the baptism of a teen named Shawntiva! She originally attended church in our former fellowship. Her sister DiEsha Carter placed membership several months ago and has been an incredible example to her “little sister!” Amazingly, at the baptism were 14 members of the ICOC, all of whom shared deeply from their hearts how happy they were that Shawntiva made the decision to be a baptized disciple! It was so impacting to watch all our Teen Women and DiEsha go into the pool and baptize Shawntiva!

Sunday March 23 was another incredible day as we had such a beautiful service! We had the pleasure of hosting service with the West and Central Regions. From start to finish it was absolutely electrifying–the energy was incredible, the singing was amazing-there are so many words that come to mind when trying to describe the day, but the one word I will use is heart. The heart of the disciples was so amazing- we wouldn’t have had such a wonderful service if it wasn’t for the God working through all our hearts! We had an attendance of 330! I know in the world when there is a gathering of this many people, there can be so much disunity. But here in God’s kingdom it is exactly the opposite! Looking around the room, all I saw was unity amongst the different Regions! That’s one way I know we are part of God’s true church! One of the highlights of the service was a dear friend Chris Bryant’s restoration. We met a while back as he was a member of our former fellowship. He shared a convicting message about his spiritual life, on how he was like a National Geographic Wildebeest who was being eating alive by Hyena’s who were relentless in there pursuit. Chris’ humility was amazing, sharing how he “cut in” on his own faith. (Galatians 5:7-8). He ended with giving thanks to God for His grace and made another National Geographic reference to an episode where an elephant was being attacked by lions. The elephant overcame the attacks and shook off the lions, the same way Chris shook of Satan’s attacks, seeing the “hope for a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Our God is truly amazing.

Nick and Cory warmly welcome Chris to South Central! Chris’ excitement is
very apparent in that wonderful smile he’s got on!

I am crying uncontrollably as I am writing this good news report because of the miracles that our God is once again doing in my beloved South Central LA. I am so grateful for the City of Angels Church who embraced me and my family, and now is allowing me to once again be a small part of Jesus’ dream! And to God be all the glory! “The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.” (Psalm 126:3)