Going to Mexico to visit House of Mercy Orphanage

Our plan is to drywall the study room and throw a Christmas party for the kids.

My Driftwood Hobby

Check out my latest driftwood. These are hardwood pieces I collected in Santa Barbara.

Python No Spill Clean And Fill System

I wanted to give a shout out to Lance at Python Systems for an amazing product the is made in the USA! That's right, good ol' American engineering and quality.

So this thing will clean and fill your fish tank without ever making a mess. No more buckets and dirty water in the house.  It has a pump you run in your sink that can both draw the water out and then when you adjust the water temp to your tank fill it back up.

 All your dirty water goes right down the drain.  It has a nice gravel cleaner at the end and a shut off valve to stop water flow to move from tank to tank.
Check out their website at Python Products
Just look at how clean my tanks are!

   

Amazon Sword Taking Over My 30g

Oh...and the Turquoise Discus looks nice

Amazingly Successful Trip To Nepal

What a privledge to represent www.ccmv.us in Nepal. Thanks for sending me and supporting me in prayer.
I was one of 7 pastors who taught through 1st and 2nd Thessalonians to a group of about 175 pastors from the mountains and hill country around Dharan Nepal.  Investing into the lives of these brothers is strategic for the future of Nepal.
We also sat in on a service at Calvary Chapel Dharan during both children's church and adult church. On our way home we squeezed in a visit to the Calvary Chapel Bible College at Kathmandu.

Here are some of the photos of the trip...

Serving Together With Some Wonderful New Friends 

Riding In A Tempo...Three Wheels and up to Six Passengers

Calvary Chapel Dharan and Lisa Giri

Lisa Giving The Bible Lesson "Our Shepherd Jesus Christ"

The Children Displaying Their Craft "Sheep With Glued Cotton"

A New Friend Jonahs...He is blind but that does not stop his passion to serve.

Typical Farm House In Dharan, Nepal

The Market...Fresh Veggies!

The Pastors/Leaders Receiving The Word From Pastor Troy Warner
 and the amazing translation of Nanda Giri (Lisa's Husband)

Continuing through the books of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians with Pastor John

Some new friends

Getting read to fly on Yeti airlines!

Pastors Troy and Vernon on the tarmac!

I Got Discus

Got a great deal on three discus fish from my lfs.

Sold My Frontosa Colony And Dirted The Tank

Well my Frontosa Colony was outgrowing my 40 Gallon tank so I sold them to a nice guy with a bigger tank. He even kept his word and sent me a picture of their new home (see below).

I mineralized some awesome soil, added red Clay, and then mixed in some special ingredients.

I put in a few starter plants and Guppies that were born in my other tank. Oh...and then I got a Cory Catfish clean up crew of four. 

Planted Tank

After creating my own blend of mineralized soil with red Clay added, the live plants are growing extremely well.  I also put the tank in the window for direct sunlight.

Frontosa Colony

I have started to raise a small school of Frontosa Cichlids. The largest I purchased  three months ago and the other five about a month ago. It takes almost two years for them to reach breeding age. I will try to post updates often.

My German Rams

Dirted my 30 gallon and added live plants. My German Rams appear to enjoy their new home.  The Driftwood is also my latest DIY project. 

Father's Day

For many of us, our fathers are our heroes. We appreciate them for their love and guidance. A good father can set an example of love, strength, honor, sacrifice, and responsibility. A godly father not only points his children to Christ, but lives his life in such a way as to demonstrate the reality of Christ to his children.

In the Fifth Commandment we are told to honor our father and mother, that our days might be long upon the earth. Hopefully you take the opportunity to honor your father more than one day a year.

Mark Twain recounts a story that is true for most all of us. He states: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”

In the same way Margaret Truman tells us “It’s only when you grow up and step back from him–or leave him for your own home–it’s only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it.”

...Billy Graham is quoted as saying, "A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society."

One night a father overheard his son pray: “Dear God, make me the kind of man my Daddy is.”  Later that night, the father prayed, “Dear God, make me the kind of man my son thinks I am.” 

On this Father's Day, we honor dads for their love and the lessons they have taught us. 

H. David Landry, PastorCalvary Chapel of Casa Grande 

Saving Money With My Fish Tank Hobby

I have two main tanks (30 Gallon and 40 Gallon).  As part of my hobby patience is key to saving money. For instance watching Craigslist sales from people who don't want to continue in the hobby and sell their tanks and equipment well under the retail prices. But you might say, they are so dirty and have lime stains.  Yes but that's where a little Vinegar and elbow grease (scrubbing) will make the dirty tank look brand new.

For instance, check out my 30 Gallon I purchase on Craigslist for $40.00 along with 3 working pumps, a Whisper filter, bags of cichlid food, and a bunch of other supplies. It was covered in Lime stains as it was empty and kept in a garage.  I have a Lime stained tank above and my Vinegar cleaned tank below...

Are You persuaded?

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

The word persude according to dictionary.com means: “to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; convince.”

God has declared and demonstrated in His Word that He loves us.  If we simplify the discussion in the passage above (Romans 8:38-39) to all that is created, and the One Who created it….It’s easy to see the point. Nothing in all of creation can separate you from the love of The One Who created you.  So God has declared He loves us and that nothing can separate us from that love.

But what about His demonstration of this love? The place where God demonstrated His love for us is the Cross! Jesus said in Mark 10:45 that He came to this earth to serve and not to be served and to give His live as a ransom. John tells us “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.” So God demonstrated His love for us by sending His son to die on the Cross for our sins…

But maybe you are not persuaded.  Maybe you are listening to how you feel instead of what God has declared and demonstrated. The only thing that can separate you and I from God’s love is unbelief!  

So believe what God has declared and demonstrated to you….He loves you!