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AMERICAN MUSCLE

2014 SRT VIPER 4

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Tickets $15.00; available at Tickets $15.00; available at Trinity Worship Center, Viva Trinity Worship Center, Viva Life Christian Book Store, Life Christian Book Store, McAllen McAllen

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What’s Inside?

September 2014 Vol. 4 / Issue 6

On The Cover

To submit story ideas, events, or comments: valleychristianmagazine@gmail.com

Francesca Battistelli, Sanctus Real, for King & Country and more, in concert October 4th

Features 22.

CONNECT WITH US: Twitter: @vcmagazine

Ministry Spotlight BSM at UTPA

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Texas Christian Publications c/o Valley Christian Magazine 3827 North 10th Street, 301 McAllen, TX 78501

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for King and Country

33. Valley Christian Events 34. New Book Releases 12. True Love Waits

For Advertising Contact:

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Stella@valleychristianmagazine.com

National Columnists

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8. James MacDonald

Leila Bird 512-501-9471

Family Pain

16. Luis Palau

Leila@valleychristianmagazine.com

Renee Gracia 956-367-5978

Los Limites de Dios para la Libertad

18. Greg Laurie

Hardship and Trust

Renee@valleychristianmagazine.com

26. Lysa TerKeurst Christian Torres Publisher

Christian@valleychristianmagazine.com

Stephanie Torres Accounting

stephanie@valleychristianmagazine.com

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Valley Christian Magazine is a free monthly magazine published by

Valley Christian Magazine is a publication of Texas Christian Publications (a 501c3 organization). Texas Christian Publications reserves the right to edit, modify, revise, rewrite and reject editorial materials and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors, omissions or consequences arising from it. All correspondence to this publication becomes the property of Texas Christian Publications. Texas Christian Publications shall be held harmless lications accepts no claims made by photographers, agents or contributors. Writers’ and columnists’ opinions are not necessarily those of Texas Christian Publications or its publishers. Advertisements appearing in Texas Christian Publications present only the viewpoint of the advertisers. We assume no responsibility for advertising claims made in this publication. Valley Christian Magazine is printed in the United States. Reproduction without the expressed written permission prohibited.

Copyright 2014.

/ Printed in the USA.

Valley Writers 10. Theresa Valladares The Abyss

14. Abram The Danger of Later

20. Jerrell Jobe Pray So That

34. Miguel Paredes Book Review

What We Miss When We Rush

38. Dave Ramsey Dave Says

FAMILY PAIN

by James MacDonald

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Psalm 127:1, ESV).

was whether Absalom was safe—the very son trying to overthrow him, the son who would kill him if he had a chance!

There’s no pain like family pain.

“Unless the LORD builds the house,”the house Family life is neither the earning place nor the learning place; it’s the churning place where the public place that generates praise and notoriety, but it’s the private place that can drain public accomplishment of every ounce of satis-

When David learned Absalom was dead, he “was deeply moved and went up to the chamhe said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son’” (2 Samuel 18:33)! we love most are also those to whom we are

ture is rife with examples of dysfunction: the

Lay out before God the seemingly insurmountable problems in your family now.

What would you love to see Him heal or resurrect?

Pray

King David’s life, and just a few of his public -

Modern statistics uphold this truth:

The good news is God can transform homes are crippled your family.

by divorce, absent

If family is the biggest target of pain in our lious son, Absalom, whose life unfolds like the dered his half-brother as retribution for raping

So is all hope lost? Hope starts by identifying the issues in our home what they really are— my sin, my neglect, my avoidance of the issues, my refusal to live according to Scripture—we are closed to the grace of God for transforma-

Absalom led a coup, turning David’s most trusted advisors against him, and he chased his dad

-

waited in exile while the shattered remains of

to acknowledge its source and deal with it His

In 2 Samuel 18, two runners approached King didn’t care about the battle, the victory, or his

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Journal experienced deep family pain. What did you feel during the low points? What seeds of hope helped you endure?

neglected but delightful and dynamic if priorIf life is not working at home, it’s not working period—no matter how “successful” we may be

nership with God, all your efforts to transform -

the LORD builds the house, those who build it the city, the watchman stays awake in vain”

September

2014

Lord, thank You for the hope found in You alone. I need Your hope to sustain me. My family isn’t all it should be, and it’s causing heartache and pain. I acknowledge the root problem is sin, and I Please cleanse me of my sin and make ly. Please heal us. I won’t propose how— You don’t need me to script it—but I lay my problems before You and plead for Your help. Please build our house, that my labor will not be in vain. I ask this in the name of Jesus, the cornerstone of my life and my home, amen.

James MacDonald is founding and

Listen to Walk in the Word locally

weekdays at 5:30a.m.

James’ teachings can be heard on Walk in the Word, a daily radio program reaching more than 3 million people across North

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9

Like

a lot of people I was saddened and surprised to hear of Rob-

brought so much joy and laughter to the world be in such pain to end his life? From the outside we saw a successful, wealthy entertainer with you watch some of his movies you can see the

they have become so detached from others that a person often can’t think of those they leave I want to paint you a picture of what it’s like to be in that position when death feels like the -

receptive when someone is venting their fears, desperation and not only guide them to scripignore the signs, discredit the illness or judge

1John 3:18 Dear children let us not love with What was more disheartening to me was

and reinforces every negative thing spoken When a person begins to receive treatment they will be more receptive to scripture

During the middle of their grief they were harassed through so-

Matthew 5:4 God blesses those who mourn for they will

can be used irresponsibly and boundaries you imagine what they endured? His daughter She had just lost her father and was being bombarded with hurtful realize how little people know about depression, its symptoms and when left untreated its consequences-destructive behaviors, broken relationships, addictions

The Abyss

with a chemical imbaltary component and unfortunately comes with a stigma so it’s often left

I don’t know his beliefs or relationship judge his actions for as we judge we

circles I’ve heard people say “he just needs Jesus”, or “he was weak in

-

if the diagnosis was cancer? Diabetes? Heart Disease? Would seeking treatment for those nosis treatments involve medications, lifestyle changes, counseling and follow-up visits with

“I pray that if you are reading this and are feeling desperate, alone and overwhelmed that you

are so many factors that can trigger this cycle-abusive childhood, broken marriages, loss of job, loss of loved ones, new diagnosis, friendship betrayals, bullying and

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who have friends or loved ones that have voiced their desperation let it I don’t’ know what Robin Williams’s treatment was or what support sys-

I see the effects of depression daily in my

If you can say that you would never be depressed or contemplate suicide that’s a bold

I pray that if you are reading this and are feeling desperate, alone and overwhelmed that you reach out and

esis, the primeval chaos out of which earth and sky were formed its, hell

September

2014

pened except for our Heavenly Father but I’m liams legacy will be the lives that may be saved by bringing awareness to this crippling disease the lines of communication and to help those

-

So why am I writing about depression in Magazine?

know that this man who God gifted with laughter and who brought so many joy was alone, desperate and in such pain that the all he saw

Theresa Valladares Lopez and has two wonderful

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Wishing Everyone A Great New School Year!

M

y wife and I are card-carrying par-

seldom a quiet moment or 34 second span where our kids aren’t trying to show domiAs our kids get older, like most parents there are some things that Sharie and I dread as we der, is my list…

Daddy Dreads 1. Middle school 2. Puberty 3. Braces 4. Friends we don’t like 5. Girls 6. Girls we don’t like 7. “The Talk” I saved the best for last, because it seems to be the thing that most parents put off to the

slaughtering a sacred cow that has become a dreaded rite of passage for embarrassed parwhat if we replaced “the talk” with “a conversation”?

Imagine the kind of pressure you would be released from if you didn’t assume the respon-

Let’s talk like grown ups here; there’s no way about sex, when the right time would be to say it, how graphic you should become, whether or not to use words like What if you began a conversation with full physical exam“intercourse” and your kids, openly and honestly and awk- ination as a teenag“arousal”, whether to wardly, that you intended to continue you dreaded going to have a question and having for years and years? the doctor, knowing answer session following your nervous lecture, and doing all of how embarrassed you would be to have him or this in one big talk? push through the fear, and it’s the same thing What if you began a conversation with your that motivates you to go to work or do your taxkids, openly and honestly and awkwardly, that es – you just have to make up your mind and you intended to continue having for years and years? What if you realized issues like love, romance, pornography, sex, attraction, and Pick a day with your mate and decide that you will start talking to your daughter or son about a counselor, pray about it and come up with a game plan, then take a deep breath and start

parents, by the time they have “the talk” with

their sons and moms to being one on one with

children have long since heard about, probably seen, and maybe even personally experienced much of what mom and dad say to them about

of it by bringing it up over coffee or lunch one day, or while you’re doing something together

Some parents delay “the talk” for so long that -

you love them, and that’s why you want to talk you intend to keep talking about it and make sure they know they can come to you, anytime, about anything, as the conversation lingers for

up one of their greatest and most weighty responsibilities to their children due to a lack of sion to awkwardness? After 27 years in youth ministry, my experience tells me that parents want to have “the talk” but they don’t know when and they don’t know how, and many of the ones who venture out in faith and make their kids sit down and listen with blushed cheeks in awkwardness feel like they botched So is “the talk” doomed to be awkward and weird by nature of the very subject matter discussed? At what age is your daughter or son ready to start talking about sex? And how

versation at different ages and stages of their life, but that conversation has to start somewhere, and that’s where you just have to em-

I began the conversation with my kids when they were 7 and 10 (I hear you gasping for and Migration Habits of the African Wildernext thing I know, it’s an anatomy lesson fol-

hormones aren’t the kind of things that can be neatly packaged into a 20 minute lecture in your living room?

May I make a suggestion that I think will take some of the anxiety off your shoulders as a par-

with the seriousness of preparing your kids for

to throw your way, and it may seem like I am

it’s wonders and dangers) necessitates a longterm approach of instilling values, beliefs,

now in it’s third year, and the awkwardness is much less than it would have been if we would’ve waited until they were 15 years old to asking me and their mom, not their friends or a

voice needs to be the primary one they listen

Clayton and Sharie King

Clayton and Sharie King re-wrote “True Love Watis” for a new generation of parents and teenagers and have just released three new books called “The True Love Project” from Lifeway Publishers. They both travel and speak at churches, colleges, camps and conferences. They homeschool their two sons and operate Clayton King Ministries, Crossroads Summer Camps, and Crossroads Missions. Clayton is Campus Pastor at Liberty University in VA and Teaching Pastor at Newspring Church in SC. www.sharieking.com www.claytonking.com www.truelovewaits.com

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I

believe that God is about to do something

I believe that He has great plans for your I believe that your future with the Lord is full

God does not work with someday faith, but He that you will have a “someday” or even a the Lord has made…” Hebrews 3:7 goes on to people make statements like “someday, I am going to trust God” or “someday, I am going to

God is about to do something, I also believe that He is doing something in this very moment of and always talk about what’s out “there”, and never seize the opportunity that is the Lord has

“God does not work with someday faith, but He works with NOW faith.

There is no guarantee that you will have a “someday” or even a tomorrow.”

sometimes convince ourselves that we can put one of my personal favorite preachers, said, Let me remind you: there is power in NOW

a promissory note, and today is cash in the

putting things off for later, and I want to give

be demonstrated today and trust God for the

The Danger of Later 14

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lost her husband, and even left her homeland

September

that God cannot direct your steps if you are not in one of his books to the Law of Diminishing Intent which says that the longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater

Lastly, some things do not activate unless waiting for everything to fall into place when

destiny and Heaven’s assignment over your

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15

Los Límites

Luis Palau

de Dios Para La Libertad

¿Son los mandamientos de Dios motivo de ánimo y aliento para usted? ¿Disfruta usted estudiándolos--y obedeciéndolos? Por ejemplo, ¿cuándo fue la última vez que meditó seriamente en los Diez Mandamienyo era niño, los mandamientos de Dios--en especial los Diez Mandamientos--eran enseñados de manera tan legalista que evité todo estudio serio sobre ellos hasta cuando terminé mis estudios en una escuela

--Me hacen acordar a mi abuela, que se molestaba sobremanera cuando yo quería salir a jugar los -

cudamos las cadenas que hemos creado los seres humanos, tal vez sinceros y bien intencionados

-

pueblo de Israel, los saqué de la esclavitud no para crear otra esclavitud sino

Pero la declaración de Dios también incluye una advertencia: “Mientras permanezcan dentro de mis límites, serán libres; pero si tratan de -

Ahora bien, es obvio que no debemos tratar de guardar los Diez dores (Romanos 3:23) y necesitamos un Salvador, Jesucristo que aunque lo no podríamos guardar los Diez Mandamientos

Luis Palau

salvación sino poner un fundamento--un fundamento sobre el cual podamos ir agregando en nuestras vidas las características de Jesucristo, que vive en nosotros desde que le

Luis Palau ya entró en la historia moderna como uno de los contados hombres que le hablaron a

Le aconsejo que pase tiempo meditando en las enseñanzas de Al tiempo que estudia y ora, conteste las siguientes pregunto? Finalmente, si el amor es el cumplimiento de la ley (Gálatas 5:14), entonces ¿qué es lo que cada mandamiento revela en cuanto al amor?

considera desde la perspectiva apropiada, descubrirá principios que aumen¿Por qué no hace la prueba?

Luis Palau

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2014

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Hardship and Trust Greg Laurie Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God... Otherwise,

transformed the small group into a church of 15,000 plus, one of the largest churches Used by permission from Harvest Ministries

settle down, and when your herds silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

— Deuteronomy 8:11-14

As they were (at long last) poised to enter the Promised Land, God warned the Israelites that the real danger to their lives had just begun.

culties compelled them to look to the Lord every day, depending on Him for everything.

“Be careful! Watch Prior to this point, Israel had wanBut then He brought them to the brink out, or you’ll get fat dered in a desolate wilderness for of the Promised Land, and they could and sassy and forget forty years, completely dependent on look across the Jordan and see lush God for everything. Every day they all about Me. Then your troubles will really would step outside their little tents, begin.”” and there would be manna waiting for fruit. They could hardly wait to get in! them, just like the morning paper. God But God was saying, “Be careful! Watch gave them fresh water to drink, a cloud to out, or you’ll get fat and sassy and forget guide and shade them by day, and a pillar of all about Me. Then your troubles will really begin.”

We’ve all experienced it: when our lives are hit with uncertainty, danger, or pain, we fall to our knees and cry out to God. God can use adversity to bring us closer to Him—which is actually where we will experience the greatest blessings of life.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

(Psalm 119:67,71, NIV).

Copyright © 2014 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

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Pray so that

A PRAYER FOR MEDICAL ISSUES God, give the surgeons unusual skill and concentration tomorrow as I go under the and full service to your purposes in this -

A PARENT’S PRAYER

by Jerrell Jobe

In

the king of Judah received a let-

letter stated that unless Hezekiah surrendered, an army was going to invade Jerusalem and kill every man,

God, help me (and my spouse) to be a repre-

Sometimes our prayers address God more as a divine butler or rich uncle than the Sovereign chief goal is to make them healthy, wealthy, essarily bad, they are not God’s chief goal for

God, bring my twenty-year old child back to

went up to the temple of the Lord and spread

-

his mind to spin into a series scenarios fueled by fear and

He aims to continually mold us, shape us and set us apart to engage His grand vision of re-

prayer extends past his own life of comfort and this? “So that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord,

“These two words, “so that,”

sired to see God’s glory made ah wanted all the kings of all the kingdoms to fall on their knees and worship

the quality and focus of our prayers.” this threatening hand-written letter from the king, and he runs to the temple and he spreads

every sentence and every word because I can’t And he prays: Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know Notice that he doesn’t pray, “God, deliver us

A PRAYER FOR GRANDKIDS grow up and come to understand the gospel,

A PRAYER FOR YOUR CHURCH

in our community will shake their heads in wonderment and be motivated to explore maybe come to our church someday and get

we are reminded that it’s not all about us, but it’s about God’s glory, God’s purposes, God’s start to ask God to intervene in your life, ask: my prayer about the glory of God? Or, is this prayer more directed toward making my own life more comfortable? Am I approaching God merely as a vending machine or a genie in a bottle?”

that” has the potential of transforming an ordinary prayer into a powerful petition to our Over the next several days, pay close attention

What is the “so that” in your prayers? does he pray, “Deliver us from the attacking have to walk around in shame the rest of my

Over the years, I’ve discovered that if I work out the “so that,” the context and focus of my

*The story containing Hezekiah’s prayer is found in 2 Kings 19:14-35.

A PRAYER FOR WORK -

and has three children : Micah (11), Naylah (8),and Avi

“when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend

valleychristianmagazine.com

JERRELL JOBE

Jerrell is a teaching pastor at -

If we’re not careful, our prayers can become

20

-

His name be lifted up, I begin to pray with

that all the kingdoms on earth may know that on God’s glory, rather than Hezekiah’s own

Look up the following references from Scrip-

September

2014

Welcoming Students at The UTPA Campus

God In College Campuses

By Robert Rueda

I met Stephen when he was an incoming freshman at

UTPA. He approached our table during Welcome Week and wanted to learn more about our organization. We didn’t know at the time how that first encounter would become a life changing event for his life.

Stephen started attending our events and got involved in a dorm Bible study. He then became a leader of that Bible study and soon started realizing that God wanted to use his life to impact his campus for Christ.

He began leading an outreach event on campus, talking to students about God every day, and developing a passion to be a disciple of Christ and see others do the same thing.

His willingness to learn about God and share the Gospel helped him decide to give up his summers as a college student to go to other parts of the world and share about God. The first time he served was in Cuba. He learned that God was working around the world and He wanted him to be a part of it. Next year he went to China as a missionary and then went back the next year.

When Stephen graduated, he knew God had called him to serve him for life. This fall he is starting his Master’s Degree in Divinity at Baylor University. His hope is to be a pastor.

After Stephen graduated we spent some time reflecting about his time in college. He told me about the impact God had in his life through the BSM and how he learned about being a follower of Christ. He knows he would not be where he is today had he not learned that God wants to use each of his followers to have an impact for his kingdom right where they are.

Stephen’s story is one of many stories we see at our college ministry. Every day, God is mobilizing students in college campuses across the valley to have a global impact for His kingdom.This is true in universities around the US. This is why it is important for local churches to come alongside college students and say, “we are here, we want to help you reach your university for Christ.”

If you drive around business areas in the valley you will see the economic growth our cities are experiencing.

There is potential for spiritual growth of larger proportions that could happen in the lives of our valley college students.

During August we surveyed over 500 students at the UTPA campus, one question we asked was, “Would you like to learn more about what it means to follow God?” Over 75% of them said yes. This represents what is happening nation wide. According to UCLA’s Institute of Spirituality, 80% of entering freshmen are interested in spiritual matters. The question is, who will teach them and guide them?

The BSM has been reaching college students for Christ for over 50 years. Our goal is to see college students trained and mobilized to serve in their local church to reach their community and to be mobilized to have a global impact for Christ. The way we see it is, “from the Harvest, to the Harvest.” We believe that our college students will change the Rio Grande Valley and the world for Christ.

As a Christian, you can be part of what God is doing among college students. Here is how: - Pray for college students in the RGV. - Pray for international students in our area, every year God keeps on bringing the nations to us!

- Pray for Christian ministries that are reaching college students in our campuses.

- Serve. Our ministry is in need of individuals and churches to come and help us reach the campus for Christ.

Robert Rueda is the Director of Baptist Student Ministry in the Rio Grande Valley.

He also serves as the Hispanic Strategist for Collegiate Ministry for Texas Baptists.

You can reach Robert at robert.rueda@utpabsm.org

Stephen Serving in China

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Welcoming International Students to UTPA

September

2014

BSM Students Sharing the Gospel in New York

Committed To Securing Families & Businesses

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September

2014

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Annie F. Downs

Annie Downs is an author and speaker based in Nashville, Tennessee. Flawed but funny, she uses her writing to highlight the everyday goodness of a real and present God. By weaving together personal stories, humor, and Scripture, she invites the who made them on purpose and loves them deeply. When she’s not writing books or traveling for speaking events, Annie spends her days writing all over the internet—blogging at AnnieBlogs. com and incourage.me, sharing truths about her life in Nashville as a single Christian woman and the stories that are woven into each day.

M

I could work as hard as I could, maybe even

been on the Jesus train for a while,

dangerous areas or worked a lot of extra hours,

and this whole line of thinking is wrong wrong And pretty soon after she got saved, she knew

2. God

doesn’t ask all of us to be foreign

And who says what you are doing right now right here isn’t God’s work?

child, seeing certain professions celebrated repeatedly in the church skewed my view some point, a conversation going on around moving around the world and sharing about

with much more clarity, I learned a few things:

1. Not every place on the planet is hot, so not every missionary work was not for me and resigned myself to the fact that I was never going to be

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If we were all missionaries, the world would Financially support them? Give them a comfortable home to return to after a year on

September

2014

God made you on

purpose and unique.

God has called you to be brave.

God will equip you to do it.

Sonia has been a public school English teacher for 15 years here in the RGV who volunteered as a Christian missionary with YWAM in North, Central, and South America and the Carribbean for 11 years. She was a child of Wycliffe Bible Translators associate missionaries in Papua New Guinea during her teenage years.

If you are seeing yourself the way God sees you, then you can see your

We have Whole Food Capsules of fruit, vegetables and berries!

Start your own Garden!!

Design, plant and maintain your own garden of 20 plants in a 4x4 area.

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means to believe that God made you and there is no one like you, that you have a unique call to courage, and that you can do the thing that is

o f n i e r o m For ! call today me, are prone to get lost and that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the

of kaleidoscope crystal, no two people are going to see the same thing

It’s your job to be brave enough to look through the kaleidoscope, even if

September

2014

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What We Miss When We Rush

By Lysa TerKeurst helps everyday women live an adventure of faith through following Jesus over the past 15 years to help make their walk with God an invigorating

A

few years ago, I had the amazing priv-

sure to welcome us the minute we took our one around us aware of how excited he was to His voice was loud, his exclamations seemed a bit child-like for a man his age, and his stut-

would people a hundred years ago have thought of this feat?

-

if we are kind of wrong in giving that label to someone who has such capacity to not lose the I wonder if I was really the one with special

We’d lost our passionate embrace of the magI wanted to rush through this part of my trip so I could get on with what? Rushing to get my luggage? Rushing to get a cab? Rushing to get to a meeting in some stale board room? No wonder

wanted to throw my arms around her and tell her about the time a teacher told me my child about how I cried myself to sleep that night feel-

As we rose into the sky he clapped and -

turned to the man sitting next to him and ex-

and jumped into the nudging

on

my

ding to ignore the task oriented part of me wanting to get my work

Not only did he remind me how each moment, but also what a gift he is to everyone who will stop and notice.

When he spotted his mom waiting for him at the end of the jetway, he got even louder pumping his arms into the air telling everyone

whisper tripped over those boundaries I’d erected to keep my

“My mom! My mom! Right there – there she is –

-

His mom’s face reddened but kept the sweetest, gentlest look as she threw her arms around her

I wanted to tell her how I got up in the middle of the night and walked to my child’s bedside and begged God to make the connections work in his brain so he could read and excel and have I wanted to tell her how I got mad at God and -

throat did that lockdown thing and I knew better than to stand there and drip tears and snot Her son has such a rich, wonderful purpose on -

grumpy and annoyed and put off by their

throat and tears cresting my eyes I touched her years ago and I’m still thinking about him and

fast moving tube, taking off from the ground,

Not only did he remind me how to embrace the

from one place to another many, many miles

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-

September

2014

greatest gift for teaching others about joy and

St. Matthew’s Episcopal School

St. Matthew Fiesta Saturday, Oct 25, 2014 5-9pm Great Food, Spectacular Auctions, Excellent Entertainment, Thrilling Games/Rides

St. Matthew’s Episcopal School “A Christian community committed to academic excellence and spiritual growth for our children today” What Makes Us Different?

Daily Chapel SAES Accredited Service Learning and Stewardship Projects Cub Scouts Girl Scouts Literacy Coalition, Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library, Oxford School of Reynosa

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Family Oriented Environment Safe Environment Enriching Curriculum Technology Extended Day Service Soccer UIL

Now Enrolling students in Pre K3 - 6th Grade Call 956-383-4202 for more information Mayani Ballesteros - Head of School 2620 Crestview Edinburg, TX 78539 Website: www.stmattrgvschool.org

A Note From Nathan...

Jim Myers, a long time friend to FCA in South Texas, recently passed away at the age of 92. Countless Coaches and athletes were impacted by this former Dallas Cowboy coach who gave of his time and resources to help our FCA ministry down here in South Texas. Our upcoming FCA Champions Tournament at Cimarron Country Club in October has and will continue to honor Coach Jim Myers as treasured friend & faithful servant.

He is home with Jesus now, but he leaves behind a slew of loved ones who are morning the loss of a father, a grandfather, and a friend. Jim’s memorial service is today. What a Champion!!

Nathan Jones

Mulit-Area Director Fellowship of Christian Athletes njones@fca.org

FCA just announced that we are declaring this coming school year to be “The Year of the Coach”. With that in mind, if anyone wants to join me in honoring Coach Myers with a gift, I’m going to start the “Coach Jim Myers Coaches Scholarship Fund”. 100% of every donation will go towards helping send Coaches to one of our FCA Coaches Camps. I don’t know how big this scholarship fund can grow, but I could think of no better way to Honor Coach Myers than to help other coaches & their families by giving them an opportunity to grown in their faith at one of our FCA Camps.

Love all of you… It’s a joy to serve the Lord alongside such wonderful people.

The Best Is Yet To Come...

Nathan Jones 28

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September

2014

CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT HONORING JIM MYERS FCA of South Texas will be having their annual FAll FCA South Texas Champions Golf Tournament!

Monday October 13, 2014 Call the Robin at 956-279-1131 to reserve your team! web: www.southtexasfca.org FCA Vision FCA Mission

venture of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relation-ships and in the fellowship of the church.

FCA Core Values Our relationships will demonstrate steadfast commitment to Jesus Christ and His Word through Integrity, Service, Teamwork and Excellence.

September

2014

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New RGV Children’s Arts Festival Launches on 23rd Psalm Theme

I

t’s often heard at funerals, sometimes at movies and even in music from no less than

Angela Martinez, 12, won a week-long vacation at the Bar Lazy J Guest Ranch in Parshall, Colorado plus $1,000 for travel expenses by entering the RGV Children’s Arts Festival. The same prize is being offered this year. For details, visit www.

KidsTalkAboutGod.org/rgv.

Winning Artwork by Angela Martinez “In addition to winning the vacation for up to

Martinez, 13, had the best vacation ever, she and her family saw something unusual not

the daughter of Javier and Azucena Martinez

will receive $1000 to help with travel expenses,” the generosity of our Valley sponsors and Jerry

the river as in times of normal mountain

to crest so that the Martinez cabin stood only a “I could say that Angela won this year’s festival of her three winning art pieces on heaven had a

Valley Gold Spur sponsors for this past year their cabins as being an added feature of this stay, but none of them included riding through As in the previous Lisa Kinsolving plan to publish the best writing and artwork from festival entries Festival guidelines, entry forms and questions can be

is open to all children (ages 5-12) who live or attend school in the Rio Grande deadline is December Angela Martinez, 12, (right) won a vacation at the Bar Lazy J Guest Ranch for her mother, Azucena Martinez (left) and her sister Abigail, 11, through Although this year’s the RGV Children’s Arts Festival. This year’s festival theme is on the 23rd Psalm. For entry details, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org/rgv. winner, Angela

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September

2014

Don’t leave your family without financial stability.

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September

2014

valleychristianmagazine.com

31

ing countless hours in 15-passenger vans and performing on stage together, a deep creative the way—our love for rhythm, our enthusiasm for theatrics and the beauty of how a lyric can

S

of Australian brothers Joel and Luke, has accomplished several notable feats on their new

Not only have they ventured into new musical territories with some of the highlights being a collaboration with hip-hop artist Andy Mineo, their continued creative partnership with art-

tage, the brothers also carry with them a mantra of sorts, speaking to a woman’s worth as well as encouraging themselves and other men to step up and stand out to proclaim that chiv-

-

in relationships and women being priceless,”

truly matters is crucial to succeeding musicaldocumenting the last three years of the brothers’ lives, a life-changing time of growth, tran-

ment was out of whack, I don’t know if I’d even

their professional success, Joel got married and

lot of my passion and zeal for life is because I have a wife who counts on me and a son who

Luke also faced a life-threatening illness that ing great depths of pain and fear, he now has

that she could lose him, so she told him, “Luke, lyrics gave me the vision and the hope for what

2013 GMA Dove Awards, where they received one of the New Artists to Watch for 2012 and American Songwriter called them “Australia’s “A really thrilling component of this new album is that we stepped into it with 300-plus shows -

1. Mandisa – Back 2. Need to breathe To You Multiplied CD: Overcomer

CD: Rivers in The Wasteland

a commodity and everyone deserves to be loved

to continue that theme of writing honestly and

that the brothers had set for themselves with

and Joel 21, the two formed a band and began

been an excellent springboard into a new and -

yourself, a mission statement that directed the

oaring melodies, driving rhythms, theatrical instrumentation and personal themes -

sang background vocals for their sister, gospel

know if I have tomorrow, so in those moments, I am going to laugh, and I’m going to dance if I

stilled by their parents, who raised their seven children in Sydney, Australia, before relocating music promoter, so the boys often accompanied

3. MercyMe – Greater

4. Danny Gokey – Hope In Front Of Me

CD: Welcome To The New

CD: Hope In Front Of Me

5. Unspoken Start A Fire CD: Unspoken

how much love he has in his eyes when he says When he began to walk, I often thought, if I could run wild like a one-year-old does and live a life that embraces adventure in that way, I And therein lies the phrase that has ultimately become not only the title of their sophomore album, but also a statement of

birthright as humans, to live a life that is for

For King & Country will be in the Valley Live in Concert along with Francesca Battistelli, Sanctus Real, Jon Bauer & Kairy Marquez on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the State Farm Arena, For Tickets, go to www.ticketmaster.com

6. for King & Country – Fix My Eyes CD: Run Wild. Live Free.

Love Strong

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September

2014

7. Newsboys We Believe CD: Restart

www.kvmv.org

8. Francesca Battistelli – He Knows My Name CD: If We’re Honest

9. Big Daddy Weave – Overwhelmed CD: Love Come To Life

September

2014

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Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks Moody Publishers

lieve that Jesus, the ultimate revelation it is not a guidebook that should be left to the all, and it should be studied

-

text, and culture of the ancient text allows for appropriate understanding God’s word to the

-

question, “What does it mean?” Good understanding of the text leads to accurate applica-

Hendricks gives many pointers, such as reading thoughtfully, repeatedBook is an ex- ly, imaginatively, and pur-

Living by the cellent book that takes you is taken through the obserthrough a basic method of vation process with a verse, Unlike other literature, Bible study. The simple ap- and then to getting the big the Word of God is a compilation of many booklets proach is to observe, interpret, and apply. to look carefully at the text

always easy to understand

Interpretation is perhaps the most challenging -

astounding observations and steady interpretation of Scripture is pointless if God’s people ing the Living God personally gets us to a point Reading the book and doing the work recomtion 101 with the late Howard Hendricks him-

Book Review by

New Book Releases

Miguel Paredes children: Diego (12), Karla and Andrea (9), and

Go Small

Abraham

Craig Gross, Adam Palmer, Josh McCown (Foreword) Thomas Nelson Publishing

Charles R. Swindoll

Tyndale House Publishers

B

W

hen we rewind history back to Abraham’s era, we encounter people who concocted false superstitions to explain the -

er, are we still discussing the faith of this desert nomad? One of

It is in the seemingly ordinary moments of life where God does his greatest work.

Go big or go home . . . so they say. But do you ever feel like no matter how big you go, you still haven’t gone big enough? Have you grown so frustrated with the pursuit of “go big” that “go home” is starting to look inviting?

Going big all the time is not only a recipe for burnout—it’s not the way God works in your life. It’s time to break free from “go big or go home.” It’s time to the ordinary, little things.

answers that question and many more in this compelling and It’s time to go small—and keep on going.

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2014

September

2014

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GotFaith Music Fest

Francesca Battistelli, Sanctus Real, For King & Country and more!

October 4 – State Farm Arena, Hidalgo www.ticketmaster.com

Learn 2 Lead

Leadership conference with John Maxwell and others October 10 – Palm Valley Church, Mission www.Learn2LeadRGV.eventbrite.com

VeggieTales

Silly Sing Along October 26 – McAllen Civic Auditorium www.ticketmaster.com

FCA Champions Golf Tournament

October 13 – Cimarron Country Club, Mission 956-279-1131 www.southtexasfca.org

Chick-Fil-A 1st Annual Family Mud Run September 27 – Donna Corn Maze www.rgvevents.net

Pastors & Leaders Conference

September 18-20 – VICC Church, San Benito www.VICCCHURCH.com

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September

2014

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Asking For A Raise Dear Dave, What’s your advice on asking for a raise at work when you have more responsibility than a co-worker but the same title on paper? After being with my company four years, Vanessa Dear Vanessa,

else is a slacker in the same position, that doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of your I’ve got several people at my company who hold similar positions and make similar pay people for how long they’ve been in the building, and I don’t want anyone on my If you honestly feel like you deserve a raise because of your effort and performance,

—Dave

Keeping Motivation Up

Daveys Sa

Dear Dave,

during this process?

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and

At this point, I think you just need to feel like you’re making some measureable progheard by more than 8 million listeners each week on more

one lady who kept in on the fridge, so she could look at all the little red lines drawn made, and it provided motivation to keep working hard and become debt-free!

—Dave

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2014

September

2014

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- Stop by our student center: BSM 1601 W. Schunior Edinburg, TX 78541.

- Download our App. “BSM UTPA.” Find it on the App Store and Google Play.

- Join us for our Worship Gathering, Thursdays, 8 PM at the BSM.

A Christian Organization for All UTPA Students

As a College Student You Can Change The World, Change It for Christ.

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For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required--Luke 12:48

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Phone: 956.380.1421 / Toll Free: 877.480.1421 511 W. University / Edinburg, TX 78539 e-mail: anointed511@gmail.com Fax: / Mobile: 956.655.5455 September 40 956.380.2920 valleychristianmagazine.com 2014 www.raulrudyrodriguezlaw.com