Love...

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good...be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves..."Romans 12:9
Love is one of the most misused words I know. Someone might say, "I love my car." Then turn around and say, "I love my wife." and then still turn around and say, "I love to fish..." Three times we used the same word to describe a vehicle, someone we care for, and something we enjoy doing. Valentine's Day is a very special day to me because it is also my anniversary. My wife and I celebrated 13 great years together on Valentine's Day. I never knew I could love someone more than myself. I don't say that to be conceited, but I think pretty highly of myself. Then I met my wife and I found out that the more someone gives you love, the more you love that person. Just when I thought I was all out of love to give to anyone else, my daughters waltzed into my life. When I only had one daughter it wasn't hard to comprehend giving this love to her, but then there were two! Where am I gonna find all this love? I found it. The more love I share, the more love I find. I have found it to be very easy to honor "my girls" above me. Loving my mom was easy...I watched my dad. Loving my wife was even easier...loving my daughters has been amazing! I don't have to think about how to do it, it just comes naturally! During this season of love, let us remember to love one another...not an easy task. Some people have left deep wounds and are difficult to love, but we must love them! 1 John 4:8, says, "God is love." What else needs to be said? This week, let us remember to love one another. If someone falls, lift them up with your love. If a spouse is struggling with something, support them and love them, don't kick them when they're down. Remember, "God is Love..." What are you made of?

words of wisdom...

This is a picture of me and my Youth Minister when I was growing up...He has offered much wisdom to me over the years...

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise..." Proverbs 19:20...
When I was a teenager, I had all the answers! I knew so much more than my parents. They ask me about certain things and I had four or five answers for them; at least. The older I got, the smarter my parents got. I guess chemo fried my brain more than I thought, because at 38 I am not nearly as smart as I thought I was. Growing up I worked with my dad quite a bit. He was a very wise man. The counsel he had for me for was way beyond what I could comprehend at the time. Now I look back at some of the things he would tell me and I realize, he was genius!
How you ever read a verse in your Bible and wondered what in the world God was trying to say when He said that...some time will go by and then it hits us...that's what He meant! There are some things in the scriptures that we read and can only ponder...and then there are those things we read and instantly know why God gave us that verse. I love to sit and people watch. The thing I love more than people watching is actually getting to sit and talk to people. I especially like talking with older people. I have received some great advice from people. Sometimes I take it to heart, and other times I take it for what it is...Our challenge for this week is to listen to what others have to offer us. When someone is telling us something, it's usually for our own good. Consider the source and you will know if it's "constructive criticism" or if they're trying to get you in trouble. With snow on the ground and being trapped indoors, I have had plenty of time lately to sit and ponder words of wisdom...God Bless!

Tony

I love you, O Lord, my strength...Psalm 18:1

Sometimes when reading the scriptures we encounter a verse that will really challenge us. Then there are those verses that just make us scratch our heads and wonder what God was trying to tell us. The verse today is one that even someone as goofy as myself can't mess up. What a way to wirte what reminds me of a Valentine's love letter. Every now and then my wife will still write me a letter and I love to hear her saying that she loves me, but add that someone is our strength, WOW! If I was to write God a letter, this is probably how I would start the letter and end the letter! What are we without God? Who are we without God? Do we exist without God? I believe it was Solomon in the Bible that attempted to live without God in his life. He basically gives up, saying it's not worth it...there is nothing to live for. Life without God is hopeless. This week I would like to challenge all of us to make God more evident in our lives. When people see you, do they see Jesus, or do they just see another person who spent $20 on cool looking T-shirt with some wise saying. A good motto for the week is this: Walk the Walk, and Talk the Talk...God Bless

Tony

"And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the intergrity and seriousness of your teaching..."
Titus 2:7

There are times in life when it's hard to "keep" my Christianity in tact. When someone cuts me off in traffic, when I'm in a hurry and there's only one checker, or when I thought someone was a friend, but it turns out I was being used...there are so many times in life when it's hard to be a good example for others. When I was younger I tried to be an example to those around me, not really sure of who that was...but now days I have two little people in my life that constantly watch my every move, even when I don't know they're watching. Being a husband is a great feeling, being a dad is a greater feeling, but being their example is terrifying! I can't be a good example all by myself. I have to look to Christ and His perfect example in order to be a good example to my family. Allow me to ask today, who's watching you? Who's following your lead? What kind of role model are you being for that person today? This gives new meaning to being a Christian 24/7/365! Role models never get a day off...God bless you this week and may you be a good example to someone!

Rejoice Always...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus..."
What great words are offered to us in this passage. I can handle the rejoicing, and I don't mind the praying part of this verse, but the last part gets me. It says to give thanks in all circumstances...I'm pretty good about being thankful when I'm reeling in fish after fish. I'm pretty good about giving thanks when I bring in a fish over 5lbs. I'm great at giving God the glory when I've won a tournament. I'm not so good about giving thanks when things aren't necessarily going my way. When I want to go one direction and God says no, I usually do like a small child and throw a tantrum or get aggravated and quit trying. Let me encourage you to be thankful in all situations this week. I know it's tough to be thankful when you're not feeling well, or when you don't make the grade you thought you should've made. It's not easy to be thankful when doing housework or having truck problems. We can be thankful that we have a home, transportation, food, and clothes. It may not be the best food or the nicest clothes, but thank God we have something to complain about...God bless and thank you for allowing me to share with you this week!

Don't worry, be happy...

1 Timothy 6:8, is very plain and simple. It simply says, "So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content..."
There are very few verses in the Bible that are that simple to understand for me anyway. As we try to unwind from the holidays and get over in laws that overstayed their welcome, or all the travelling we did, all the credit card debt we racked up, and all those extra pounds that came to visit, I love the simplicity of this verse. As I look back on 2010, I think of all the hardships we endured, but guess what...we're still here. We are here because of the grace of God and His willingness to allow us to serve Him in so many different capacities. Not one day in 2010 did I not have something to eat or something to wear. In fact I feel bad because every now and then I have to go through my T-shirt drawer and get rid of some. Pass them on to someone else. As far as food is concerned in our home, we make sure all left overs are gone before getting new stuff. I'm not so good with left-overs, but I feel bad for my wife and kids eating the same thing over and over! I want to make this my verse for this year. I love that it says we should be content with that. Let's pause for a minute and allow me to ask you a question...What makes you happy? Many of you answered that question before you were done reading it, but for many of you it took some time. As 2011 rolls out new opportunities for us let us jump on them...and be content! May your closets stay full and your pantries never run dry! God Bless...

Tony

Immanuel...

Matthew 1:23- "and they will call Him Immanuel- which means, God with us..."
The other day while reading the "Christmas" story I noticed something I had never noticed before. His name shall be Immanuel which means God with us. I have even sang the song that has this same line in it, but for some reason it hit me different this time. God with us...I had never really stopped to ponder on what that means. This means that no matter where we are, how far we've fallen, how sick we are, how bad we feel, how bad life has beat us...God is still with us! What a relief to read those words. I had to put my Bible down and praise God for a few moments when I read that. Even thouh we can't see the solution to our problems, God knows what lies ahead. With all the health issues I've had recently this was really nice to read. I have let that stay with me for a few days now and it has really made a difference at how I approach everyday situations. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ let us also remember...He is with us...God Bless until our next meeting.

Tony

abundance...

In John 10:10 we read, "the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give you life in abundance..." that is paraphrased of course and is more than likely the Huerta's version. It still says alot. The thief has come and has taken all he wants from today's families and we have let it. Too often we feel helpless in a fight against things that we can't see and before we realize it we've lost the battle. How many times have we been too busy working in order to sustain our families and provide all the things we "need". Christmas time is one of the most stressful times for many, and it should be the best time of the year to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. Instead of celebrating His birth we worry about what to get in-laws, how to decorate better than the neighbors, how to buy better presents than everyone else, and even how we're gonna top last year's gift! What about Jesus? Where does He fit in this picture? Every year at this time we start to hear about saying, "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas", and how one is more correct than the other. I say we just start saying, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" to one another and see what people say about that...shoot, what if we started greeting one another that way all year. We say Jesus is the reason for the season, but if He's in our hearts then He's the reason for every season. Satan loves division and confusion. How about we get on the same page and remind him that we're not confused. We know why we celebrate! God Bless and "Happy Birthday Jesus!"...

Tony

Blast from the Past

Wow, what a weekend! On saturday we celebrated my wife's birthday, then on sunday we had a birthday party for my oldest daughter, Selah. It was a great weekend getting to see old friends and talking about the good ol' days toether. In this photo, I am pictured with Sylvia Lawler and Sally Murff. Sylvia was our church secretary at FBC Junction, while Sally was our daycare director. Eventhough their titles said one thing they wore several hats in their jobs. To me these two ladies were the ones that made everyone's job alot easier. I'm pretty good at proposing ideas, but don't know about logistics. These ladies made sure it came to life. I don't know how many hours we spent in prayer for one another and for our families. I love to hear a mother's prayer. After I left our church in Junction I lost touch with some, but these ladies have always been in my heart. Now we work in three different places doing three entirely different jobs but we still have a common bond, Jesus.
We are about to embark on a new journey as I have accepted a new job as Youth Minister in Winters. I don't know what the future holds for my health or my family. I do know one thing though: I will be making more new friends! I am excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Winters and really feel that God is going to bring complete healing to my wounded body. "I will restore your health and heal your wounds..." Jeremiah 30:17. I live by this verse and look forward to every morning to see what God has for me. I always try to look to the future, but sometimes it's nice to stop and remember the past, because that's what made us who we are today...stop...remember...thank God...blessings...

Tony

Wait...

I got to spend the weekend doing Christmas shopping. Spent a whole day shopping, not for myself, but for others. What a day it was. We had a very unusual day in a sense that we spent the day as a family. This doesn't happen very often for us. The day started great as we left home at a decent time and arrived in Abilene just in time for a great lunch at Abuelo's. This is exciting stuff. Once we were stuffed, the fun began. As we piled our basket, I began to people watch. People watching is one of my favorite hobbies. I love to watch bored husbands and over eager wives buying for everyone they can think of. I heard one conversation that was made up of a wife explaining to her husband why they needed to buy a certain nephew a gift this year. This would be only year they would have to buy for this person because they're moving out of state. Most people were excited to be there, however their were those certain few that would have rather been out with friends or on a deer lease somewhere or anywhere but shopping. We ended our great day by taking our daughters to the theatre for the first time. We went to watch Tangled, the story of Repunzel. It was so neat to see my oldest daughter walk in to the theatre for the first time. Her eyes lit up, and she couldn't believe the size of the TV screen. As I watched her, I suddenly remembered why God compares us to children. All day they were dependent on me and their mom. I want to become so dependent on God that I won't be able to move unless He tells me where...Let's all become His children and dependent on Him again. The only way we can hear Him, is to talk to Him...Blessings...

Tony

"I'm Going Fishing..."

"I'm going fishing..." John 21:3

I love to read these words in the scriptures because I don't know how many times I have uttered these exact words from Peter. These words are usually heard when hard times hit. In the text Peter has denied knowing Christ. Jesus has been beat, battered, and crucified. I don't think Peter is having a very good day. Some of the other disciples holler out to him and he basically says, "I need to get away." Often when I need to get away from everyone and/or everything after a stressful day or week, I respond like Peter. "I'm going fishing...", I think this will become my new life verse. The funny thing is that if you keep reading the story you find that some others went with him. If you read more the story turns out like my fishing trip. Jesus appears on the shore and asks, "have you caught any fish?" Their answer is very much like mine, "no". They had been out all night fishing and had caught nothing...I've been there before!
Fishing is a funny sport in so many ways. Fishermen will spend thousands of dollars to try to outsmart an animal that has a brain the size of a pea. I've learned that it's not really about fishing, but rather it's about your surrounding. It's about solitude, it's about nature, it's about man vs. fish, but for me it's about becoming one with God. We all have that special place where we feel closest to God. As we prepare for this Christmas season I want to challenge you to remember what we are celebrating. Let's get to that special place as often as we can. I pray that I not go fishing, but that I go catching...God Bless...
Tony

How Big...

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God." Psalm 100:1-3

I recently heard the story of a student who was in seminary. Having all this knowledge he had learned in his last semester, he approached his pastor and asked, "Pastor do you think there's other life out there on other planets?" His pastor looked at him and simply said, "no". The student was astonished with the answer and began to plead with his pastor, "if there isn't other life out there, why would God spend all that time and effort to create all these other planets and galaxies?" The pastor looked at him and smiled and said, "what time and effort..." I love the response because our God is so big and awesome that He just shakes His hands and galaxies are created! My mind cannot begin to fathom how big God is. I have reached a point in my life where I don't really care to read books or memorize verses or even want to read my Bible, but I want to know God! I want to know more about God, who is God, how can I hear God, how can I know God better? I know how important it is for me to read my Bible, and memorize scripture, and sing His praises, but sometimes I have to get away and just be silent for a bit. Have you ever been scared to be alone with God? Have you ever had an uncomfortable silence with God? I have. It's weird, scary, and yet it's exciting to hear what He is going to say. How big is God? Look at the sky and try to wrap your mind around how big He is...Blessings to all of you and let Him be big in your life this week! God Bless...
Tony

Worship

Psalm 24:3,4 "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart..."

Worship...what do we think about when we hear the word worship? For some it's a car, or a girl/boyfriend, a certain food item, or even a place they have visited. I have been thinking really hard about this thing that we Christians call WORSHIP. What exactly is it? According to the dictionary the word can be a noun or a verb. I am not going to bore you with a secular view of Worship, but I am gonna share with you about my experience with worship.
Worship is something that happens to me when I quit trying to serve God and let God take over. Sometimes I'm driving and see something majestic and I just have to Worship God right there. By the way if you're driving and decide to worship, please don't raise both hands and close your eyes! Sorry, safety first! Sometimes my girls are screaming at the top of their lungs and my wife is cooking dinner and as I am trying to piece everything together, I worship God and thank Him for what I have. Let me stop for just a moment and let you respond. When was the last time you worshipped our Lord and Saviour. I don't mean just thanked Him, I mean when was the last time you let God take control to the point that you had to snap out of it? When was the last time you asked God to become real in your life, in your home, in your family? It's been too long. The photograph today is a picture of the Old Guerrero Church on the Mexico side of Lake Falcon. This picture was taken two years ago before all the pirate turmoil began. It was taken by a great photographer named Mae, who owns House of Mae photography in the Metroplex. What a great picture of a place I could go to worship! Can you imagine pulling up in your bass boat to worship Jesus...WORSHIP...what does it mean to you...God bless you this week.

Tony

Run Forrest Run...

Yesterday was such a pretty day. We sat outside with the entire family and I watched them run and play. Did you notice the key word, "watched". It felt more like spring than fall. They were playing their own version of "hide-n-seek" which required alot more running than I remember ever doing. As I watched them run from one spot to another it was really pretty cool because I knew where everyone was hiding. It reminded me of how we try to hide from God to do things that maybe aren't so pleasing to Him, but in the end He knows what we were doing anyway and we end up having to confess to Him what we did while He wasn't "looking". There's a story in the Bible about a man named Jonah. Jonah was a prophet and in fact he has a book all to himself in the Old Testament. Really Jonah is in your Bible; don't tell anybody but I had to use my table of contents to find it! Jonah was told by God to go to a place called Nineneveh. This town was really corrupt and the people were really bad. It would be like God telling me to go to AUSTIN! Just kidding! Jonah thought there was no way he was going to Nineveh so he thought he could outrun God and hide from him. He hopped on a ship going in the opposite direction, but guess what...God knew exactly where he was. God wreaked havoc on that ship until Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a big fish. Many think it was a whale, but I think it was a big ole bass...(this is my version). The fish puked him up on shore and Jonah did as he was told.
How often do we play hide-n-seek with God? Do we really think we outsmart God? Then why do we do it? I know there are many decisions that you are struggling with just as I am. I hope that you have a real talk with God before you make up your mind. Let's make Him real in our life this week! Let's not have a "Jonah" kind of week...God Bless your socks off...
Tony

Useless?

As I was getting ready Sunday morning, I opened a drawer in our bathroom and came across the most useless object in our home. It was way back in one of our drawers. I reached in there and pulled out this odd looking object that has no purpose in my life at this moment. What is this useless object? My hairbrush! I have no hair therefore my hairbrush has been rendered "useless". I had forgotten I even owned a hairbrush. I forgot what color it was, what brand it was, how soft it was, I had lost all memory of even owning a hairbrush. I wonder if this is what we do to God sometimes? The less relevant that brush became in my life, the farther back it went in that drawer. It was sheer coincidence that I found it while on the hunt for something else. So it is with God, if we don't talk to Him daily, if we don't seek Him daily, if we don't spend time with Him on a daily basis, we tend to stick God in a drawer somewhere and kind of forget about Him until we need something again. Have you ever noticed that when things are going good for us God becomes irrelevant in our lives. As soon as we need something, then we go to that God drawer where we left Him and start to frantically search Him out! God is too good to be put in a drawer. He longs to be a part of our daily lives. Where is God in your life at this moment...Let's let Him be relevant in our lives again...Have a blessed week!

Tony

Grow Up...

Have you ever been frustrated, but you find yourself repeating the same mistake over and over again. You know better, but somehow before you realize it you've made the same mistake again. I find myself in this predicament quite often. There's a verse in Romans 7:15 that basically shows us that Paul experienced the same problem. In this verse he is asking, "why do I do the things I don't want to do, and don't do the things I want to do." It is refreshing to know the man responsible for more than half of the New Testament, the "ultimate" Jew, the apostle struggled with sin just like we all do. Our youngest daughter turned two last week and we tell her over and over not to do something, but as soon as we turn our heads she does exactly what we told her not to do. We are very much like my daughter. God tells us not to do something because he knows better, but as soon as we think God's not looking, we do what we were told not to do. I want to challenge you all this week to quit repeating the same sin over and over again. Something I do to help me out is to read my Bible daily and I try to pray through situations instead of praying about situations. Have a great week and God Bless you this week...

Tony

Go Already!

I have been feeling really good this week! In fact I have been feeling so good that I spent a few hours every day working on my boat. It's not new, fancy or real pretty, or coveted by anyone, but it's mine and it's paid for. It's an older boat and requires some TLC and lots of attention. My wife made a comment in talking to one of my cousins that got me to thinking. She said, "he does this everytime he's gonna go fishing. He spends all his time getting ready and then he's too tired to go..." After she said this I thought about it and how true that statement is about the church today and Christians in general. We spend all our time preparing for what we want to accomplish and when it comes time to produce we don't have the energy. I worked on the wiring, the fuel line, cleaned it, and hopefully this week will power wash it. Am I doing this because it needs it, or am I doing it because I need it? So many of us go to church looking to fill a void in our lives. We try to fill it with programs or studies, but what we really need is to get real with God. It's good to do all the things I did to my boat, just like it's good for us to be at church. However, I didn't catch any fish because I never got on the water. Most Christians do all the Christian things, but only at church. We're too scared to go against the flow in public or at work. When was the last time you prayed before a meal at a restraunt? When was the last time you TOOK someone to church that has never been? When was the last time you did something that made you uncomfortable? You're ready! Matthew 28:19, tells to go into all the world! Please notice that one little word, "Go"! Let's quit stalling and do what we're supposed to this week. Oh yeah, pray for me that I get to take my boat out and bring home dinner! God Bless...

Tony

How good are you?

This photo was taken in Abilene in 2005. I got 1st place at that tournament. That was the first tourney I had played in years and was kind of a joke. I felt pretty special carrying home that trophy. All eyes were one me! After being praised by many for about 30 minutes and taking pictures with my trophy, isn't amazing how your parents always know what to say. My mom walks up to me and the first thing she says to me is, "golly mijo! You looked really overweight out there!"
Have you ever heard the term, "the older I get, the better I was..." That's what I've been dealing with these last few days. Round 4 of chemo is over! Thank God, but this round was really tough. I went in on Thursday and they were ready for me, but I only thought I was ready for them. If you talk to my wife, she will tell you that the days before chemo around our home it feels like we're going into battle. Because we are. We read scriptures together, we pray together, and we all work as one finely tuned platoon ready for battle. I may do the physical part of chemo, but it affects my entire family. My wife is like a 5 star general commanding the troops and preparing the logistics. Finally, the day has come and I walk out the door I know I am covered in prayer and my weapon is ready, my Bible.
On Friday night, I knew I wasn't feeling very well. I was starting to feel really bad. As I laid in my bed I began to feel sorry for myself. Oh boohoo poor me. I had told myself I was gonna pray, but instead I began to spout off to God in my head how bad I was feeling. I reminded God how I had served Him, how I always tried to keep my cool on the tennis courts. I also reminded God what a great speaker I once was...during one of those pauses as I laid there and tried to remind God about something else that made me so good, a nurse walked in and began to apologize because she hadn't been in my room in over an hour, (I'm pretty low maintenence). I was about to really tear into her when she said, "we have a man on this floor that is really sick and he may not make it through the night..." These nurses know that I'm always asking them what I can pray about for them. Just like my mom, she really knew what to say to boost my confidence. She reminded me where I needed to be and what I needed to be doing. Praying...
As I reflected on the weekend this verse came to me, 2 Corinthians 7:10, That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
God bless you this week and let us be strongest when we're on our knees...
Tony

It was a big day at the Huerta household on Sunday. Training wheels came off our 4 year old's bicycle. She did great and I'm happy to say everyone is still in one piece and still married! One of the things I noticed about her riding was how unbalanced she was until she got going a certain speed. As soon as she slowed down, she would lose her balance and begin to fall. As I saw this it reminded me about our walk with the Lord. So many of us add so much to our lives and then complain about how busy we are, but yet that's where we find our balance. This is complete opposite of what scripture tells us to do. In Psalms 46:10, it says, "Be still and know that I am God." The world wants us to go "faster, faster" but God tells us to slow down. Romans 12:2 says, "do not be conformed, but be transformed..." my paraphrase.
I want to challenge you to slow down this week. Do you know that I already saw Christmas trees in stores! Let's slow down and listen and watch for God moments this week. When we pray we don't have to do all the talking, let's let God talk to us. Please keep me in your prayers this week as I go for what we are hoping is my last round of chemo on Thursday! God Bless you all and thanks for reading.

Tony

"Praise God"

Today I went and bought a new fishing license. Not really surprised they have gone up again. A freshwater license is now $30. I don't mean to sound "old-fashioned", but it wasn't very long ago they were only $15. Along with the new license I received a new booklet with all the new laws and regulations for 2010-11. It made me think about lots of things. For instance, what if God changed the rules for getting into heaven every year. What if every person had to read the entire Bible in order to get to heaven? What if God fined us every time we did something wrong? Aren't we glad that God isn't about a bunch of laws, but rather it's about Him! As I sat outside earlier today and felt the air cooling and watched leaves falling I got to peek into heaven just a little bit. My daughters sing a song that says, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do..." I believe we have all sang that song, but how many of us are living that song? As Fall rolls in, I praise God for the beauty he is letting me see. As we go along this week let's take time out of our busy schedules to thank God for who He is and not changing the rules on us every year. I am also grateful that God's gift of eternal life is "free". His price never increases. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." How does someone like that write something that goes out of date! Thank you God for your beauty that surrounds us! God Bless

Tony