Thursday, May 24, 2007

Our 1st Gift from theLord!

This is Janai Marie, our 14 year old, and oldest child in our family.

Janai is quite a young lady. She's friendly, intelligent, and very beautiful. (See what happens when you marry well!)

The Lord knew exactly what our family would become when He decided on giving us Janai first. She helps Mom in so many different ways, I can hardly begin to share them in one post.

She rises early to do school, and makes sure her little sister Naomi gets up with her during the week. She gently cares for her baby twin brothers, Christian and Josiah. She allows Mom time to go food shopping and to run household errands without having to take everyone with. She can pull together whatever food Mom has on the menu, and see to it that it's ready on time. Janai's skills in the kitchen already put her at the top of the list for future brides-to-be!

Janai is also very talented musically. She plays piano, violin, and recorder. When Janai plays her music, it brings a soothing effect on the whole house. Thank you Lord for Janai and her musical talents!

Another terrific attribute about Janai is her great sense of humor. She laughs at all of my jokes and always likes to join in on some good clean fun. She enjoys music, is an avid reader, and likes to spend time outside in the yard. Janai also greatly enjoys blogging on her and Naomi's blog site "Daughters of the King." Check it out, you'll enjoy it!

One other thing to mention about Janai is that she truly loves the Lord. She has read through the Bible cover-to-cover, I believe 3 times, and she's only 14. Wow!

Every family should have a Janai because she's a tremendous blessing to our home. I couldn't have picked a better first child to have than Janai. Thank you Lord!

And Lord, may you continue to mold Janai into the kind of Woman you desire her to be. Give me wisdom as her Dad to see the future as you see it, and to help Janai make good choices in this world. Amen!

Sons of Thunder!

Here they are, my baby twins who will be turning 1 on June 6th. Christian Elijah is on the left, and Josiah Lucas is on the right.

They are, as one friend said, "a blessed handful."

These guys are full of energy and life, and really keep Mom and siblings busy caring for them at home.

They're not identical twins, but some things about them are similar. For instance, they both cost $ to raise!

June and I love having them and consider ourselves truly blessed to have been given them by the Lord. We hope to raise them in a manner worthy of the King who chose to bestow them upon us. Lord give us wisdom....and energy!

Raising twins has proven to be quite enjoyable, especially from the provider stand-point who isn't home with them all day. Seriously,I know my wife enjoys every bit of having them and wouldn't trade them for the world. Having them should keep everyone in my home from getting chubby since there's never an inactive moment.

Thank you Lord Jesus for Christian and Josiah, and help us to raise them in a way that pleases you. May they grow to know and love you and serve you all the days of their lives!

The 'Joy' of My Life!

This is my little Joy Noelle, the happiest 4 year old I know. Joy's full of life and is a very good sister to her siblings.

We call Joy are little strawberry, because she just loves to eat them, and would like to have some with every meal. Joy is always happy, well almost always.

She really brings life to our home and is always looking to learn from her Mom and older sisters.

Joy is extremely handy around the house too. She can tidy up a room with no problem, and is good at helping Janai and Naomi in the kitchen. She's going to be quite a wife for some very fortunate young man out there who we'll find at a much later date!

Joy's always good for a hug and a kiss, and my life wouldn't be the same without her. Her favorite thing to do is to have a tea party with family and friends.

Lord, protect Joy from the evils of the world and give June and I wisdom in raising her to be a maiden of virtue!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Helpful Ravi Zachariah

This is my second oldest son, Ravi Zachariah. That name may ring a bell for some of you who enjoy listening to Christian Apologetics. My son bears almost the exact name of the world renowned Apologist, Ravi Zacharias!

Ravi is 6, and is extremely helpful around the house. He especially enjoys doing jobs where he can use his God-given strength. Few jobs are too heavy for Ravi. From carrying groceries for Mom, to hauling drywall for Dad, Ravi likes it all.

He also enjoys the fact that he's a boy. He loves to flip over stones in hopes of finding bugs for his bug house. I told him with Cicada season upon us he would need to eat one to maintain his manhood. And knowing Ravi, he'll probably do it.

I look forward to seeing Ravi become the Man-of-God that I know the Lord created him to be. He can use his strong work ethic to build the Kingdom of God. Ravi also has a very big heart and enjoys making others comfortable. This too will be invaluable in building the kingdom for his King!

Lord, may you always keep Ravi's heart close to yours and use him for your glory!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

My Little Joshua Marcus

Meet Joshua Marcus!

He's my very active 2 year old son who enjoys the little things in life like popsicles and chocolate.

He's a good boy who likes to run around outside and try to keep up with his older siblings.

Joshua enjoys wrestling with his brothers and myself. Not to rough though, he's still little and likes to feel no pain!

My desire for Joshy (as we call him) is to serve the Lord Jesus with his life and to become a strong Godly Man with a strong faith in his Lord.

Lord, may you use Joshua to accomplish great things for your Kingdom!

My Sweet Naomi Elizabeth

This is my 9 year old daughter, Naomi Elizabeth. She is truly a gift from the Lord.

Her heart is very gentle and she likes everyone to be happy!

She is an excellent Baker and a very good helper to her Mom and big sister.

My desire in raising Naomi is to protect her heart from anyone or anything that would seek to steal it away and take her off of her mission of serving the Lord Jesus with her life.

She is going to be an excellent wife (if I let her marry!) and whoever approaches me about courting her had better be a Man worthy of such a precious gift!

Saturday, May 5, 2007

A Noble Desire...

This is my 7 year old son, Stephen Josiah Fuentes. His desire for the past couple of years has been to be a Pastor. Paul wrote in 1 Tim. 3, that if any man desired the position of Overseer, (which is synonymous with Pastor, Elder, or Bishop) that man desired a noble thing.

My goal for Stephen is that he would grow and mature to the point that he meets all of the qualifications laid out by Paul in that passage for an Overseer. I pray that the Lord's mercy and anointing would fall on Stephen for his entire life and that He would give him the desires of his heart.

My job in raising Stephen is to protect his heart from anything that would seek to steal his heart and take him off mission with his Lord. How many a young man has begun his young life with the same desires as my son, only to see his life become a spiritual shipwreck because he had a Father who failed to stand at the gate and fight for him when he was unable to fight for himself.

Please pray that I would fight the good fight for my son, along with my other children who I'll write about soon, and that when all is said and done, many will say that their Pastor, Stephen Josiah, is a mighty Man of God!

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Church Planting Driscoll Style!










The link below will take you Mark Driscoll's blog where you can watch a short video he did recently on the subject of church planting. It is intended for SPIRITUALLY MATURE MEN. If you're not sure if you're spiritually mature, ask someone who is. If you're not sure if you're a Man, look for a counselor!

It was received well by most, but not all. Watch it to see why!



After viewing clip, let me know what your thoughts are on it.
  • Do you think it's theologically sound?
  • Should it have been banned from being given out?
  • Is there a place for Women church planters?