Posts by Manny Rivera
THE BIBLE IS RATED “R”
I was told as a young man training in ministry to “be myself…don’t copy other preachers and don’t wear a façade… be yourself.” Well, I took that advice in verbatim – probably too literal :-). Well, I’ve been occasionally accused of being a bit controversial and too blunt – ok… it’s been more than occasional…
Read MoreSOMETIMES WE NEED TO REBOOT
One of my objectives this summer is making sure our church arrives at a stage of health. All churches become ill at times. All churches are attacked one way or another. After all, a church is not an organization rather an organism. Its alive and made up of many individual parts where if one hurts,…
Read MoreTHE NOTEBOOK
I have a black leather notebook (folder) that houses legal pads. It’s a notebook that I always carry in my bag. I call it my “Idea Note book.” I do all my brainstorming in it. It carries my thoughts, concepts, lists, hypothesizes, goals and plans. Anything of any type of importance is either written or…
Read MoreROOT LEVEL
My blogging has been a bit sporadic lately. It appears that the process of order in my life has had its taxing moments. This process has a way about it that causes us to have to rethink and restructure practices, schedules and routines. I’m learning that the process of order in my life has to…
Read MoreTHE KING IS COMING
Last night, I waited with anticipation to see if “the king” Lebron James, was was signing with our Miami Heat. The moment of anticipation was orchestrated very well by the NBA and ESPN. It will forever be one of those moments in which you would remember where you were and what you were doing when…
Read MoreORDER vs. DISORDER
Order and structure seems to be the word for MHC this summer. This began the first week of June and continues to challenge us every week. I’ve been personally challenged to increase the level of Godly order, not just in myself, but also in my family and church. Here are some thoughts on order and…
Read MorePLEASE PRAY FOR OUR DAUGHTER…
My daughter Calysta has been training very hard for the IDC National Competition. She’s been training about 10 hours a day, not including her personal training of weight lifting and aerobics. She has a very good chance of winning Miss IDC, which is the all around champion based on the scores of the judges in…
Read MoreBE THERE!
Last week’s message one for my personal record books. I preached a message titled “BE THERE”. It’s a passion of mine for people to see the value of “being the church” by “being at church.” Yes, there is a demonic paradigm that deceives people in believing that attending church is not necessary. Unfortunately, this is…
Read MoreTHE EPITOME OF RESPONSIBILITY
We all have the potential to lead and influence. And that influence has been given various arenas in life for its application. I believe in the phrase “every believer is a leader.” It doesn’t imply that there be “all chiefs and no indians,” rather, that everyone has a range of fields in their lives where…
Read MoreTHE SIMPLICITY OF KEEPING OUR SALVATION
I think we tend to complicate Christian living many times. This morning I dug into the book of Philippians. It took a while for me to finish the first chapter, it’s just so rich with principles of motivation and encouragement – its builds such a driving force to complete the assignment God has given us.…
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