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  • Joseph Garibay 1:13 pm on July 8, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Heal The World, Love, MJ Memorial Service, People, Staples Center

    I’ve always had the desire to live life beyond myself, because if I don’t, I personally feel I’ll be wasting my time. I just want to love people. I want to care about them. I want to bring hope to a dying world. More than anything, I want to be authentic before the Lord. I don’t care about making a name for myself; it’s not about that. It’s about going into the nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I couldn’t help but think about all of this while watching this clip yesterday morning during the Michael Jackson memorial service.

    First of all, wow, talk about a guy who made an indelible mark on society. Secondly, there were so many people who took time out of their day to “be a part” of the service!

    There was an estimated 16,000 people in the Staples Center and millions more all over the world watching via television and internet. Just take four minutes of your day, watch it, watch the people, and ask yourself: “What can I do to make a difference?”

    It’s all about people.

     
  • Joseph Garibay 9:58 am on June 28, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , John Maxwell, Leadership, Preparation, Talent Is Never Enough

    I’m reading through Talent Is Never Enough by John Maxwell and it’s pretty good stuff.

    The thing that’s challenged me the most so far was the chapter on preparation. Not only do I have the desire, but I fully believe the Lord’s called me into full-time ministry, and because of that, preparation is a pretty big deal.

    I often wonder if I’m doing enough of it.

    I know I’m not perfect, so what is it about my character that sucks that I should work on? Am I reading enough books? Am I reading the RIGHT books? Am I spending enough time with the Lord? Am I praying enough? Do I love people as best as I can? Am I taking the time to work on my preaching skills?

    It’s a never ending list…

    “People don’t get a second chance to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” – John Maxwell

    Having the desire to capitalize on every once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that comes my way,

    - Joe

     
  • PS22 Chorus 

    Joseph Garibay 4:00 pm on June 22, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    My new favorite choir in the world. I love em!!

     
  • Joseph Garibay 11:07 am on June 14, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Leaving home always comes with a bittersweet price-tag. I mean, it’s Antioch, CA, the place I called home for eighteen years before I packed up my bags and moved to Portland. It’s just one of those things. Coming home this past week was so refreshing. It was so nice to spend some quality time with my family and catch up with so many old friends.

    As always, I can never come home without being caught by the Lord’s grace. It’s just, I have so much to be thankful for. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why the Lord spared me from suffering the consequences of some my pre-cross actions, but He did, and I’ll forever be grateful. Sometimes the hardest part about coming home is finding out what some of my old friends are doing and hearing about how hard “life” is. My heart just breaks for them because I can remember the good ole days, you know, when the only thing we had to worry about was making sure our teeth were brushed before we went to bed. The days when we would share our quarters so that we could have an extra chocolate milk during lunch, or the times when we would tear it up on the kick-ball court.

    Now some of those same people are running from gangs because they got caught up in the drug life, some of them are struggling to make ends meet as they parent their child alone, and some of them have just given up on life completely, doing absolutely nothing of significance. At times it’s just, hard, to accept the fact that some of my closest friends have made some very unwise decisions and are now “paying the price” because of it. It’s just a tough one to swallow because each and every one of them have a special place in my heart and I just wish I could “rescue” them, instead of watching all of us walk down the different paths life has to offer.

    As for me, I’m sitting in the Sacramento airport waiting for my flight to Portland. In just a couple of hours, life as I know it in the beautiful Northwest will continue and everything will get back to normal. I’ll unpack my bags in my nice little room, probably hit up WinCo, because that’s just what poor college kids do, and then continue on with my week being captured by the Lord’s amazing grace.

    I’m just, thankful, in every way possible.

     
  • Joseph Garibay 4:05 pm on June 11, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Prayer & Fasting, Traveling

    I’m slowly approaching the biggest crossroad of my life. When I first moved to Portland, moving back to Antioch when I finished my time at PBC was pretty much a guarantee. Almost four years later, that’s definitely not the case.

    I’ve been contemplating with the idea of staying in Portland and planting myself under the leadership of City Bible for a good six months now, mainly because I truly believe this is where the Lord is leading me. However, I’m still not entirely sure.

    For months now, I’ve known this trip home would be the beginning of a very exciting season. I came knowing that a few heart to heart conversations would take place about where I would end up after PBC, and now that those heart to hearts have already happened, it’s time to pray, and fast, and pray, and fast!

    So here I am, enjoying a quick vacation to Antioch realizing that this may be what all of my trips home are like in less than a year. It’s a bittersweet feeling! I just want to do the right thing. I want to submit myself to my family & leadership, seek wise counsel, and let the Lord reveal the rest. I’m just a young man seeking after the Lord for some serious direction before ANY decision is made! In the mean time, I still have a lot to look forward to as I prepare myself to enter my last year of ministry and college as a PBC student.

    I’m not sure what the Lord will reveal to me, but I’m extremely excited to seek after Him like never before during this season of my life.

     
  • Joseph Garibay 8:27 am on June 9, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    In Case You Were Wondering…

    I’m lovin the California sunshine right now.
    I can’t wait to watch the Lakers DOMINATE Game 3 tonight.
    I REALLY need to buy new drumsticks.
    I successfully managed to spend two hours in a book store and NOT buy ANYTHING!
    I’m still in love with my new ESV Bible.
    I’m looking forward to Jerry’s Hot Dogs for lunch today…Heaven!!
    It’s good to be home.

    Till next time…

     
  • Joseph Garibay 9:58 pm on June 8, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    I’m back in Antioch. Looking forward to a great week.

     
  • Joseph Garibay 9:54 am on June 7, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Just got back from a sweet road trip yesterday…

    P6040036

    Goofing around at Pier 39

     

    Hangin by the Golden Gate Bridge

    Hangin by the Golden Gate Bridge

     
  • Joseph Garibay 2:30 pm on June 5, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,

    Just finished lunch with my friends and my lovely Grandma decides to bring out a bunch of my baby pictures to show them. Nice! Thanks Grandma, thanks… : )

     
  • Life at 22 

    Joseph Garibay 1:29 pm on June 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Today, June 2nd, celebrates twenty-two years of life for me. Words truly cannot express how grateful I am to be in the place that I’m currently at. At twenty-two years of age, I’m seriously living the dream and I have everything a young man could ask for. Everybody always asks me what I mean when I say that I’m “living the dream”. What I mean is this: Every day I wake up knowing that I’m right where the Lord wants me to be, doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I have a family that loves and cares about me, I have friends that will stick closer to me than a brother, I belong to an amazing church and my life is submitted to amazing pastors who have always loved me unconditionally and believed in me.

    I’m living an abundant life; I’m living the dream.

    On June 1st, 2008, I had a life changing conversation with my Dad. (It seriously was life changing) I asked him what he remembered about the day I was born and he went on to explain every little detail; My Mom was in a very bad mood, he had his friend sneak in food because he couldn’t stand the stuff that the hospital served, my eyes were open as I came out of my Mother’s womb, I was apparently very red, he let the doctor cut the umbilical cord because he was scared he would hurt me, the Doctors placed a little blue beanie on my head, and then before they knew it, they were taking their first born home. Then he went on to explain how he choose my name. He said that he had read through the story of Joseph in the Bible and that he really liked how Joseph handled himself in every situation. He said that he wanted a son that would be strong enough to maintain a godly character, even if people treated him badly and even if things didn’t always go his way.

    So just like last year, I woke up really early, grabbed a guitar (thanks David) along with my bible and went to a place where I could spend a couple of hours with the Lord. I spent some time in worship and then read through the story of Joseph, trying to understand what my Dad saw in him, which would ultimately influence how I received my name. As soon as I finished reading through the life of Joseph, I entered one of the most amazing times of worship I’ve had in a while, and then I wept, and wept, and wept as I reminisced over my life and dedicated this next year to the Lord and the advancement of the Kingdom.

    I have so much to be thankful for. I can’t even express the love that I have for my Savior. I’m just so…happy. I have fun everyday of my life and there’s so much peace in my spirit. The power of the cross is my life’s testimony and had it not been for the blood of Jesus, who knows where I would be today! I thank God for His amazing grace and I’m extremely thankful for where He’s brought me, but there’s still work to be done, there’s still lives to touch, and there’s still people to care for. As long as I’m still alive, that will always be the case. 

    Singing for joy because He’s truly done great things,

    - Joe 

    Genesis 50:19-20 – – But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

     
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