ARMANDO BRRAZA :: THE PUENTE

New Americans take oath at Orpheum

June 25th, 2008 @ 2:16pm
by Kevin Tripp/KTAR

It was a special morning for Phoenix for 401 people who took the oath to become America’s newest citizens.

They came from as near as Mexico and as far as Zimbabwe and began their journey as Americans as they were sworn in at the Orpheum Theatre downtown.

Armando Barraza was one of them. “I wanted to be part of this country, not just living here, but I wanted to be able to say I was a citizen and be able to take advantage of all the rights as a U.S. citizen.”

“I’m looking forward to all the rights I get as being a citizen, especially being able to vote this year.”

The Social Security Administration was there to make sure knew citizens update their information so that that it will be current with the E-Verify database.

Here is the newest Barazza, Benjamin Happy.
CONGRATULATIONS!

5. the HEALTH porch

hunger, poverty, illness, and sickness are wide-ranging issues that defeat the body and soul of humanity. this porch could easily become very comprehensive and easily very overwhelming. the call of the church is to provide protection for those in need of basic health needs — sustaining the body as part of the transformation of the soul. wholeness.

the porch of protection concerning health allows the church to meet basic human needs: food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare; and to do so while helping people maintain their dignity. too often we are guilty of giving a hand-out and making people beg for it; pushing people to another “agency” because we are too pre-occupied with something else; demeaning the social, emotional, mental, and spiritual person while meeting a physical need.

the HEALTH porch protects the whole person for the sake of the whole person being touched by Jesus. to build this porch, it takes time and sweat. interested??

4. the COMMUNITY porch

abandonment and loneliness abound in our world. feelings of depression and self-defeat can set in. only the touch of Christ can truly set people free from these emotional and social deficits. the call of the church is to provide the porch of community to protect and nurture broken humanity as Christ brings healing.

often, the mistake (i think) we make is to try to bring the healing by “creating” community through programming. while this may help to bring temporary comfort, programs can never replace the touch of Jesus. so, do we not gather? do we not form groups? do we not attempt to foster friendships? of course not, but we must remember that Jesus heals and our responsibility is to provide community to facilitate this connection.

community programming provides the porch, Jesus provides the healing. to be a part of the porch, it requires the effort to know people, build friendships, and be there for others.

interested?

3. the SOBRIETY porch
providing a safe place for the addicted and -aholic for rest and recovery is a calling upon us. full recovery is the hope and the journey towards wholeness in this arena. peace, self-control, self-discipline, clarity of thought, and living our created purpose are granted by the grace of Jesus, and our porch provides the protection and environment through which this healing can come.

addiction to alcohol, food, drugs, theft, self-defeat, self-mutilation, pornography, work, busyness, destructive relationships, etc, etc. can be healed by Christ. facilitating the environment of safety, accountability, forgiveness, and acceptance is the porch of protection the individual needs. to be a part of this porch, one must be vulnerable, available, honest, and seeking this continual healing in their own life.

interested?

2. the SPIRITUAL maturity porch
this porch would be shared by most evangelical churches — in theory and in practice. the protection of pre-believers and new-believers while they mature in Christ is a must. i’ve too often seen a great experience and connection with Christ left to wither…

as pre- and new-believers enter under this porch, the church must teach/show them how to read scripture, apply teachings, and listen to/OBEY the Holy Spirit. the natural tendency for humanity (even after “conversion”) is to be a lone ranger. the church must encourage ACCOUNTABILITY and come alongside people on the journey. most of us naturally resist this.

spiritual protection requires of us to seek out those searching. to come alongside, it requires availability, honesty, and personal spiritual growth concurrent with the one(s) you’re walking beside.
anyone interested??

In following up Sundays “5 porches” talk, I’d like to just reiterate them here over the course of the week. To be the church God is calling us to advance His Kingdom, it seems necessary to stay focused on how to invite, protect, allow, and embrace the “sick and dying” of our world. I’m excited that our church has organically built and sustained and continues to improve these 5 Porches.

1. the EDUCATIONAL porch
literacy, strengths, language, GED, job training, financial help, tutoring… we have tried and/or dreamed and/or continue this porch of education. for the under-served, cast-away, alien, rejected, laid-off, under-developed people that are in our city, the church must provide a place of hope and protection — a porch — as people wait for the much-needed touch of Jesus.

this porch seems to have many possibilities, and all you have to be to be involved is good at something. anything. then you can assist others.
interested??

OBEY:: Just a follow-up to pastor Armando’s talk Sunday. I think his words were “just shut-up & obey”.

obey

One entry found.
obey

Main Entry:
obey - Pronunciation:
\ō-ˈbā, ə-\

Function:
verb

Inflected Form(s):
obeyed; obey·ing

Etymology:
Middle English obeien, from Anglo-French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from ob- toward + -oedire (akin to audire to hear) — more at ob-, audible

Date:
14th century

transitive verb
1 : to follow the commands or guidance of
2 : to conform to or comply with
intransitive verb
: to behave obediently

— obey·er noun

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A day of reflection for the “modern day Moses”, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The memory and the message of this great leader continues even today.

Martin Luther King - Biography

Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools… [more]